Being an apprentice SUCKS!
by manga ranga
Summary: The story of a young girl who's dreams have been crushed by Dr Finklestein. The result is that she dedicates her skills to one thing... REVENGE! Warning, this is actually a long story & there's murder/tortured humans involved.
1. Arrival

The early morning light shone down upon the small ferry. The ghostly boat was moving down the canal of green, stagnant waters. Pieces of rotting skeletons drifted past. The acrid aroma was enough to make a human retch their guts out. But the passengers aboard this ferry were far from human. They were creatures of the night. For this was a unique world of horrors and eeriness. This was the world of Halloween.

Amongst the monsters eager to reach home, a teenager sat quietly amongst them. Unlike most of the passengers, she was travelling alone. Judging by the heavy backpack by her side it was obvious she was an apprentice of some sort. Any form of apprentice, when they finally came of age, was destined to join with a master of their chosen field. It was common to see apprentices leave their hometowns to seek a master of their field. This girl had obviously travelled for a long time in hope of reaching the ship's destination, Halloweentown, the capital of the Halloween world.

Nothing really stood out about her though. She wasn't overly beautiful. If anything she was just your average girl, not fat or thin, just stuck in between. But it was evident she was an early bloomer in the puberty area. One would assume she was older than her body suggested as she possessed womanly curves and a rather large bust. But she kept these features hidden beneath a baggy black shirt and a pair of loose jeans. Upon her shirt was a large image of a demonic crescent moon devouring the sun. A long harlequin jester coat shielded her from the cold. Her messy red hair was kept at bay in a wild ponytail beneath her black and blue jester cap. Beneath her right eye she had a strange violet marking like a jester doll. On the back of each of her pale hands was a violet swirl.

Noticing the docks fast approaching she grabbed her backpack. Looking ahead she saw Spiral Hill, the key monument of Halloweentown. Within moments the ferry docked at the edges of the slums. The only canal that flowed through the town made contact at the lower parts of Halloweentown. The slums were a terrible place, heavily trashed with the garbage from other areas. Eerie shadows were cast across the walls from the neon green light of the water. In a hurry everyone left the ferry before it sailed off into the distance. The girl watched everyone move off in their separate ways, often into the arms of their family and friends. But when you're an apprentice from out of town, no one cares.

* * *

Jack watched with wonder as Dr Finklestein unveiled his latest creation. It was a monster created from the remains of the Trick and Treat dolls used as guards of the Acid Works. The ghostly creature drifted within its glass prison in a state of sedation. Its head was like a jack o lantern with long fangs. Its body was a swirling mass of white and black cloth. But its hands were massive claws with tendril like fingers.

"I must say doctor, this is absolutely bone chilling!" praised Jack

The doctor nodded modestly "Just a few touch ups and it'll be ready for next Halloween"

"This is incredible, where do you get your inspiration?"

"When you've done the job long enough, it just comes naturally"

"I know what you mean. I can't even remember a time when I wasn't the Pumpkin King"

"So how is Sally? How is your son, Jason?"

"Sally is fine as for Jason… hard to say"

"Why is that?"

"He's just so… disobedient. He won't listen to either of us or show up to his scaring lessons. He can't even summon Pumpkin Fire. Yet he wants the title of Pumpkin King"

"Apprentices, they're always so troublesome"

"Surely you'd want to retire one day doctor. Spend more time with Jewel"

"I will never hand over my title as mad scientist, not until I meet someone I believe to follow the rules"

The skeleton raised an eyebrow in curiosity "Rules?"

"Yes Jack, rules. You have certain rules as a Pumpkin King, so does a mad scientist"

In an instant the Mayor burst into the room and laughed "There you are Jack! I need to finalise a few things for next Halloween so we can get started! We only have three hundred and sixty four days to go!"

* * *

The jester girl walked through the Acid Works. Taking note of the strange architecture that surrounded the ominous tower before her. The flowing river of what she suspected was acid was just bellow the metal bridge she was walking across. The sight of a bat falling in and becoming a half congealed mass of organic matter only confirmed her suspicions that the liquid was a type of acid. She walked up to the tower door and knocked.

Jewel turned from her housework. The sound of knocking echoed in the monstrous tower. Like an obedient housewife she walked to the door and opened it. She was face to face with the mysterious jester girl. Jewel smiled warmly "Good morning, how can I help you?"

The girl quickly removed her hat, her messy fringe hung around her face in a mass of curls. "Is this the residence of Dr Finklestein? The Mad Scientist of Halloweentown"

"Yes it is. My name is Jewel, I'm the doctor's wife and you are?"

"I'm Shadow" she offered a hand out "It's nice to meet you Jewel"

She shook the girl's hand and said "So what brings you here?"

"I wish to speak with Dr Finklestein. I want to get an apprenticeship with him"


	2. Job Hunting

Hours passed before the Mayor was satisfied with Jack's notes. The Pumpkin King also had to leave to tend to his son's scaring lessons. Dr Finklestein was left alone in his private laboratory on the top floor. It truly was a busy morning (or mid morning by now). His thoughts were interrupted as someone came up moments later by the elevator.

"Finky" chimed Jewel as she walked in

He smiled back at her "Ah Jewel, what is it?"

"There's someone who'd like to meet with you. About an apprenticeship"

"Yes, of course. Send them in" Dr Finklestein thought wickedly _'Might as well see the crap being produced these days'_

Jewel left the room. Seconds later another entered. Dr Finklestein frowned as he saw Shadow approach him. She stared at him confidently with her blue eyes, strangely they were surrounded by charcoal shadows.

"Hello there dearie, what can I do for you?" he gritted through his teeth. He didn't like her at all.

"Hi Dr Finklestein, I've heard of you from afar. Your reputation as a master Mad Scientist is well known which is why I am here today to ask for an apprenticeship under your knowledge"

"An apprenticeship to be a mad scientist? Are you sure that's really what you want?"

"I've been studying the ways of biology for twelve years now. I cannot improve unless I learn from a master"

"Alright, let me ask you a few questions. Firstly what is your name?"

"Shadow, sir"

"How old are you?"

"Nineteen, turning twenty next July"

"And where are you from? Judging from the pack you've travelled far"

"I come from Sleepy Hollow"

"From the south… interesting. Now then Shadow, why do you want to be a mad scientist? It's clearly indicated by the markings on your body that you're a joker"

Shadow let out a sigh of annoyance. She hated it when people criticised her because of her species. A joker was a type of magician who specialised in illusional spells. You could tell if someone was a joker by the markings beneath their eyes and on the backs of their hands. She replied seriously to the doctor "Unfortunately, the idea of science only provoked my curiosity in the topic. As a result I want to become a Mad Scientist. I have already studied my field solidly. All I need is someone to teach me how to graft skin together and bring life to my creations"

Dr Finklestein moved his wheelchair closer to her "I'll consider it… do you have ten thousand souls?"

"WHAT!?" Shadow froze, she never heard of anyone have that much money on them.

"That'll cover the insurance on the equipment here. If you want to be my apprentice you must pay the price first"

"So if I get the money, you'll take me on as an apprentice?"

He turned back to his monster and shrugged "Sure, whatever"

"I promise I'll get the money!" with that said Shadow left the room.

Dr Finklestein turned with a wicked grin _'Stupid southern hic, as if I'd ever let my apprentice be a woman'_

* * *

Shadow walked through the bustling crowds with a furrowed brow. She was thinking deeply about her situation as she wandered through Halloweentown. _'Ten thousand souls… how the hell am I gonna get that kinda money!?'_ she noticed the many shops lining the streets. With a grin she smiled, a hopeful idea in mind _'Look at all these shops. There's gotta be work out there for me!'_ Wasting no time she entered the closest shop, the Witches' Shop.

The small dark shop was cluttered with magical items of all nature. A few candles half melted over human skulls supplied the only light for the area. At the back was a long counter cluttered with rarer items. Standing behind the counter were two witches, a tall thin one with a pointed nose and a midget witch with a round nose. Both of them had frizzy hair and wore pointed hats and long black dresses.

"Welcome to the Witches' shop" cheered the taller witch "The best bargains in town"

The smaller one cackled "We guarantee to take your scaring to the next level"

The jester girl smiled "Hi there, I'm Shadow and I'm looking for a job"

"A job you say?" the smaller one looked to the taller witch "Hilda, do we have any vacancies?"

The tall witch, Hilda, shook her head "No Helga"

"So Shadow, do you have any magic experience?"

"No… I don't. I'm a mad scientist in training. But I need money to become Dr Finklestein's apprentice"

"We're sorry but we can't hire you based on that" sighed Hilda

Helga added "No one in this area can. We can only hire magical beings. Not scientific individuals"

Shadow raised an eyebrow "You're joking?"

"You can try, but the odds are against you. Try talking to a restaurant owner"

"Maybe I will" Shadow smiled "Thankyou"

* * *

The youngest of the vampire brothers looked upon Shadow. He was examining her very carefully from every angle. Only moments ago she had wandered into his restaurant asking for work. He had been ignoring the words coming out of her mouth. Instead he bluntly asked "So are you a vampire at all?"

"What? No, I'm not" she replied "Why?"

"The best restaurants and cafes in town are owned and run by vampires and vampires only… you're not even attractive enough to pass as a waitress."

Shadow narrowed her eyes at him "You don't have to put me as a waitress. I'm happy just washing dishes out back and outta site"

"I'm not hiring you, now get out before the customers see you"

Shadow left the restaurant so it could prepare for the evening rush. She walked through the business district back towards the Town Square. She had wasted all day trying to get a job somewhere but was rejected for every flaw in her personality, appearance and details. Life was definitely more complicated in the big city. Noticing the sun setting Shadow then realised _'I need a place to stay. DAMN IT! Why am I so disorganised!?'_

But her attention was diverted as she noticed a young woman walk past her. She looked like a living gothic Lolita doll. She was even dressed in extravagant lacy black clothes. Her jet black hair was tied and styled gracefully into two high pigtails, a dark grey fringe around her beautiful face. Her eyes were blood red and she had small fangs jutting from her lips. A black parasol was extended above her. It was evident she was a vampire.

"She's gorgeous…" sighed Shadow to herself

The vampire girl glared at her. A small smirk was on her face as she started laughing at the sight of Shadow.

"Excuse me? Have I done something wrong?"

The vampire calmed herself "Yes, the fact you were born was a mistake. You look like a joke"

Shadow shrugged, not really taking any offence "Well I am a joker. I'm Shadow, what's your name?"

"I cannot believe this, you're a simpleton too!"

"Pardon? Why are you trying to put me down? I haven't done anything to you"

She pointed her umbrella at Shadow and growled "My name is Countess Scarlet, and you haven't seen the last of me wideload!"

Scarlet put her nose in the air as she walked off. Shadow scratched her head and said "I think that girl has major mental problems" as she went her own way.


	3. Karma

The full moon looked down upon Shadow. It was about laugh at her misfortune. She glared at its silvery magnificence. "Don't start with me… wait, why am I talking to the moon?"

She shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly as she kept walking. So far she had no luck with finding any form of inn or rental accommodation. It was getting late into the night and the prospect of curling up in an alleyway was becoming more appealing. In a trance she dragged her heavy feet through a backstreet. Her daze shattered as something cold and wet was thrown at her back. Shadow couldn't help but let out a shriek.

"Oh crap! I'm sorry I did that! Didn't see you!" exclaimed a voice

Shadow turned around, still dripping wet. She saw a short, stout demon by an open door with a bucket in his hands. Instead of hair, he had three striped tentacles. He had black charcoal skin and a 360° mouth. His body seemed multi coloured and his arms were covered in a strange spiked fur.

"It's alright. Everyone makes mistakes" Shadow turned to leave but a hand lashed out and grabbed her hand. "What is it? I'm not mad at you!"

"But it would be karmically irresponsible if I didn't rectify my mistake!"

"Kar- what!?"

"Don't be silly, come and let me clean your coat!"

"WHAT THE HELL!?"

Shadow was dragged inside by the strange demon. At least she could say her first day in Halloweentown was an interesting one.

* * *

The demon led Shadow down a few flights of stairs. The more stairs they descended, the louder the sounds bellow echoed. Shadow had never heard such music before in her life. The words of the song called amongst the frantic guitar strains, rhythmic drums and even the crazy keyboards.

"_Death is all around us and my heart is beating weaker. Fight the day with power of immortal souls arise. Fire in our hearts the evil rages on forever more. Burning until the battle rage is gone" _

Shadow nervously said "W… what is this music!?"

The demon replied "I think this album is called 'Inhuman Rampage', it's by Dragonforce! You like it?"

"Yeah, it's got a good beat to it"

"_Through damnation we rise sign of the times master of bleeding eyes. Thunder on high look to the sky you never gonna take us down!"_

"It's from the human world. Funny people they are too" informed the demon

"The human world? That means this music is illegal here"

"You think that stops me? I deal with importing the uh… 'illegal' goods"

Shadow came out of the stairwell, still dragged along by the demon. She opened her eyes with amazement. It was cavernous room filled with tables, chairs, bars and a massive dance floor. It was an underground night club. All through the club monsters were dancing wilding as the music blared.

"_And we will crush the evil standing on the temple in the fire storming. Fly beyond the lost horizons high. Heroes of the night are calling. See the promise land is falling. Reaching for the power deep inside. On through the night!"_

Shadow felt the demon steal her coat. She followed him to the bar "What is this place?"

"This is Harlequin's Hideout!" declared the demon proudly "The hottest club ever to exist in Halloweentown! If you need something from the human world this is where you go"

"Who are you?"

"I'm the genius behind this place, name's Harlequin! And you are?"

"Shadow, I'm new in town. Just arrived today" Shadow kept to herself as monsters pushed past. She didn't really want to get noticed by the masses of unknown faces.

Harlequin asked as he scrubbed Shadow's coat "So where you from?"

"Sleepy Hollow"

"A Southern Damsel, aye?"

"Yeah, I guess"

"So how you finding Halloweentown?"

"Quite… busy. It's so weird here. Do you know of any places I could stay the night at all?"

"Nope, there's no inns here. So what brings a girl as young as you to Halloweentown with no place to stay?"

"Well… I wanted to get an apprenticeship with Dr Finklestein. But I need ten thousand souls to pay for the insurance. Trouble is, I'm broke"

"Interesting…"

"DAD! Stop being a weirdo!" snapped a young nose-less demonette. She was next to Harlequin working the bar. She had heard their conversation.

The demonette was a head taller than Shadow and rather attractive. Her feminine contours were robust on her agile frame. Her eyes were bright green with black pupils. Her skin was a charcoal black. She had a short mane of silvery hair around her face with three orange and black striped tentacles extending from the back of her head. There was a gold ring around each digit of her three fingered hand. Her torso covered in a tunic of orange and grey scales that were attached to the skin. A pair of tattered yellow pants covered her long legs allowing her three toed paw like feet to stick out. At her side was a lead pipe.

Harlequin growled "Hayley, don't get involved with my business"

"It's obvious she needs a place to stay. We got plenty of space upstairs so why not?"

"Because I can't be bothered setting up the spare room"

"Dad, this is very bad karma"

"You're right!" a wave of panic washed over Harlequin "The karmic balance will be against me and misfortune with curse my every move! The cosmic plains will destroy my soul and body if I do not help this poor lost soul!"

Shadow stared at Harlequin as he ranted on and on. She asked the demonette "So… does this mean I can stay?"

"In short… yes. You look kinda tired, want to go to sleep now?"

"Yes please"

"By the way, I'm Hayley, Harlequin's daughter"

"Nice to meet you, I'm Shadow"

Hayley left her post at the bar and led Shadow back up the stairs. She led the newcomer to the cluttered home she shared with her father.

* * *

The insides of this house reminded Shadow of a junkyard. Blueprints were pinned across every surface, even the high ceiling. Piles of strange contraptions were gathered in every corner.

"Sorry bout the mess" said Hayley as she waded through the masses of junk towards another set of stairs. It led to the second storey of the house. "Dad's the town genius so he plans… a lot"

"It's alright" replied Shadow as she followed. She nervously stared at the lead pipe in Hayley's hand.

Hayley held the pipe up "What? You think I'm gonna hit you with this?"

"Kinda. Why do you have it?"

"You'd be surprised how convenient it is to have a lead pipe"

"I'll take your word for it"

Hayley led Shadow to a door on the second floor "Anyway, heard you needed money. Got a job yet?"

"No I don't. No one will hire me"

"Well, how bout working at the Hideout? We could use another helper at the bar and barista"

"Alright, I'll work for you and your dad"

"Excellent, I'll teach you the ropes tomorrow and then tomorrow night you can start working"

"Really? Thankyou…"

Hayley opened the door to Shadow's new room and living quarters. She smiled as she walked off "See you in the morning, bright and early!"

"Um… Hayley?"

She stopped walking and turned "Yeah?"

"Why are you being so nice to me?"

"I dunno, just feel like it… and you're also kinda clueless at the moment"

"Gee… thanks"

"Bye bye!" Hayley disappeared downstairs.

The small bedroom wasn't overly furnished. It was just a normal spooky looking room with a bed, desk, cupboard and dressing table. Shadow put her backpack on the desk and threw her jester hat over the chair. The room had a small window overlooking the streets of Halloweentown. She personally had no idea where she was in the town. But it didn't matter. She had found a place to stay. Wasting no time she collapsed on her bed and fell asleep.

* * *

_Lyrics from "Storming the Burning Fields" by Dragonforce_


	4. Work to Do

Hayley opened the door of Shadow's room to find the joker asleep on the bed. With the sound of a cat's footstep she entered the room and stalked over to her. Hayley readied her lead pipe and the old saucepan she had collected from the kitchen. Taking a steady three breaths she readied herself. Hayley leapt up on Shadow's bed, standing proudly and bouncing up and down on the bed as she bashed the pipe against the pot.

"WAKE UP!" she screamed at the top of her lungs

"WHAT THE HELL!?" Shadow screeched as she sat up on her bed. She instantly lost her balance and fell to the floor with a thud. "Ow…"

Hayley leapt down from the bed and knelt to Shadow's level. With a grin she said "Rise and shine! It's a beautiful morning!"

"Yay" growled Shadow in a sarcastic manner

"Come on! Let's go! Let's go! Let's go!"

Shadow narrowed her eyes at the harlequin psycho as she grabbed her jester hat "How the hell can you be so perky in the morning?"

"From one miracle fluid!" Hayley bounced to her feet and danced like a cheerleader "C-O-F-F-E-E! What does that spell!? COFFEE!"

Shadow just stared at her like she was a lunatic… which she was. Hayley grabbed her hand and dragged her downstairs.

"Good morning Shadow" said Harlequin, he didn't look up from his blueprints. He didn't even seem to think twice as his daughter dragged their house guest past him.

"Morning Harlequin" she replied quickly before disappearing down the flight of stairs leading down to the hideout.

* * *

Shadow could see the club better now no one was there. There were four doorways to the surface from the looks of things. Two smaller ones located near the bar and in the kitchen which was for the staff. Two main doorways were in the dining area for the customers and patrons. Those doors were currently closed by heavy metal doors decorated with spooky decorations. The bar, registers and kitchen took up most of the right side of the entrance area. The other part was taken up by tables and chairs for dining. 

Going down a few stairs and one would reach the dance floor. Complete with a stage for the DJ and the massive hi tech sound system. Around the floor were platforms raised at different heights for dancers to enjoy and use. Hanging in the heights of the cavern were lighting tools, spotlights, mirror balls and smoke machines.

The walls were covered with plenty of vents and air ducts so they wouldn't suffocate. Smeared across every surface were little harlequin demon symbols in neon paint. Bright signs of strange symbols representing bands and posters of various musicians were hanging on the walls like works of art. Across the back wall a large sign declared 'Harlequin's Hideout' in graffiti style writing that could be seen from any part of the club.

Hayley put a hand on Shadow's shoulder "Firstly, the grand tour" she gestured to the tables and chairs "This is the dining area where people… um… dine on human food such as candy, chocolate, kebabs and schnitzel. We serve a lot more, but that's just a few examples"

Pointing to bar she continued "That is the bar where we mix up drinks, alcoholic and non alcoholic! It's also where you pay for stuff and pick up personalised orders. Behind the bar is the kitchen where we prepare food"

"Going down here we have our amazing dance floor where we play awesome music!" cheered Hayley as she dragged Shadow down to the stairs "When this place turns the neon lights on, it's incredible! All the paint in here is glow in the dark"

Shadow noticed two doors in the corner of the area. Just near edge the bar on the upper area away from the entrance doors. The doors were currently open. There was a luxury double bed in each room. "What're those rooms for?"

"What rooms?" Hayley looked around

"Those ones near the bar"

"Oh those, those are Root Rooms"

Shadow paused nervously, she knew that colloquial term "What?"

"Let's see, fornication factories, orgy quarters, sex stations, copulation cells, mating chambers"

"I get the idea!" interrupted her friend. Hayley could spend all day listing names for the rooms. Shadow nervously asked "You mean there are prostitutes here?" _'I don't wanna do that kinda stuff to get money'_

Hayley laughed "No, people just pay to use the rooms. Apparently those beds are posture-pedic or something. Good for the back"

"I see"

"Anyway, the door we went through can only be used by dad and I and well… now you. The kitchen door is used by the staff"

"So where are we anyway?"

"I dunno, some place in the Catacombs. They network throughout Halloweentown so almost anyone can get here"

"What exactly will I be expected to do?"

"Allow me explain over breakfast! Then we can get to work"

Within moments Shadow found herself sitting opposite Hayley at a table. There was a mug of strange steaming brown-ish black liquid nearby and a plate of scrambled raven eggs in front of her. Hayley had cooked it up almost instantaneously.

"Anyway, I'll explain this place now" Hayley cleared her voice "This is Harlequin's Hideout, a club where people come to enjoy the pleasures of the human world. Such pleasures are regarded as illegal in Halloweentown though"

Shadow commented "Then how do you get away with it?"

"Luckily one of our best customers is a legal academic. She can exploit every loophole and law in place to maximum capacity, which is why we're still open. However Dad did tell me of times when this place did get shut down… for years even. But it was a blessing when we first met Malice, the Mayor's daughter"

"What is this drink?" said Shadow as she tasted the contents of her mug "It's awesome!"

"That is coffee, a very popular drink in the human world. Anyway this place is open every night and sometimes during the day depending on business"

"So what's my job?"

"For now, you'll be a waitress, cleaner, order taker and package giver. Well you know what a waitress and cleaner. With order taking there's a blank notebook beneath the bar counter which is changed every night by my dad. People will come up and request items from the human world. You write down the item, make sure you get the right spelling"

"The right spelling?"

"By just changing one word it gives it a different meaning. Also write down the country it's from. Then get the name and address of the client. Finally get a deposit. Deposit prices are marked on a chart inside the notebook"

"Sounds simple enough"

"It wasn't for Barrel. He's the dish washer and garbage boy. We were busy so he took a few orders. It was also that night he discovered he was dyslexic. He was just as surprised as we were when we saw the book"

Shadow couldn't help but laugh a little from the story.

Hayley grimaced "But it's alright, my Dad's a very understanding guy even if he believes in all that new age karma stuff. Finally people will come up during the night to collect their orders. They'll tell you their name and the product they're meant to receive. When that happens, head into the back and get them their product. They'll pay up the rest of the cash then"

"So what other jobs will I have to do?"

"When you get a bit more experience. I'll show you how to work the coffee machine and mix cocktails the proper way! You will be expected to clean out the Root Rooms once in a while too. Other than that, this job is easy. Oh yeah…"

"Oh yeah, what?"

"You got a way of defending yourself?"

"I know how to throw a punch if that's what you mean"

"Good"

"Why?"

"It's better to be prepared sometimes" Hayley collected her dirty dishes and looked back at Shadow "Come on, we got work to do! We gotta get this place ready for tonight"

* * *

Jack almost fell off his chair as the Mayor bounded into the kitchen with a grin on his face. At the moment it was still too early for him to be working. His wife was by the stove cooking omelettes. 

"Good morning Jack!"

The Pumpkin King asked "How did you get into my house?"

"Morning Sally" waved the Mayor as he ignored Jack's question

"Hello Mayor" gritted the ragdoll. She was under the impression she'd be able to spend a little quality time with Jack this morning.

"Father, I thought we weren't going here this morning. We can finalise a few things without Jack" said a voice. An eighteen year old girl walked into the kitchen. She was slightly shorter than Sally and her body was split.

On the right side her skin was shaded a cold blue and she had an evil yellow eye on her face. Her shaggy black hair hung just above her right shoulder. On the left side her skin was a normal healthy tone, like the living and her eye was gentle and looked very human. Her wavy silvery grey locks reached just above her left shoulder. Her nose was nothing more than a black triangle. She was wearing a very professional dress suit with a bow tied loosely at the collar. Her entire outfit appeared split as well, just like her. It altered in fabrics of dark red and faded purple.

The Mayor said "Malice, please wait in the hearse. Daddy has business to solve"

"But we can make decisions and direct the townspeople without Jack this morning. They're only minor things as well like what expression should the jack-o-lanterns have"

His face twitched and cranked to the pale panicked side "I'm only an elected official! I can't make decisions by myself"

"Yes you can" Malice looked to their King and Queen "I sorry about this. I tried to stop him"

Jack laughed "It's alright Malice, old habits die hard"

"Well, well, well" said a sleazy voice that sent shivers down Malice's spine. She turned to see him, the Pumpkin Prince.

He was tall like his father and about the same age as Malice. He wasn't a proper skeleton though, he was like a ragdollish creation like Sally. His whole left arm was skeletal while his right was a light blue flesh stitched together. His face was flesh for the top half but you could see the bones making up his right cheek and right side of his jaw. Feathery brownish hair and dressed in a finely tailored black suit with a spider for a bow tie. "If it isn't the Mayor and his sweet daughter Malice"

"Don't touch me" snarled Malice. She grabbed the scruff of her father's jacket "Let's go Father"

Sally felt relieved that Malice was around. She didn't even know the Mayor had a wife. But the day she found out that Malice was training to replace him. The Mayor seemed to be more controlled.

"Jason" said Jack "Where have you been all night? You missed you lessons, AGAIN!"

"Whatever" laughed the Pumpkin Prince. A life of luxury and high respect from townsfolk had turned him into a spoilt brat. "I'm going out"

"But you just got home!"

Jack and Sally jumped at the sound of the door slamming loudly. Sally let out a soft sigh as she looked at her feet. "What did I do wrong in his upbringing?"

"You didn't do anything wrong" Jack whispered softly as he held her hand "It's not your fault…"

* * *

_For those who don't know "Root" or "Rooting" is the Aussie slang for fucking or the delicate act of reproduction. Hence the reason some Aussies laugh at the Canadian clothes (I think it's clothes) brand, Roots. Especially the children's line called 'Kids Roots'_


	5. The Hideout Staff

Hayley stood in the kitchen as she sliced up fillets of steak. It was a menial task that made the chef's job a lot easier in the evening rush.

"Finished wiping the tables" said Shadow as she walked in and washed the dirty rag.

"Cool, now then… what to do next… let me think" Hayley kept concentrating on the cutting. She personally found working with blades was a difficult task for her.

Shadow went to her side "May I?"

"Alright" she passed the jester the sharp meat cleaver. Shadow immediately took the blade. She threw it up in the air and caught the handle. In a split second the blade had cut like lightning. Hayley was amazed as she watched Shadow slice up the meat in mere seconds.

"Where did you learn how to do that!?" she blurted out

Shadow kept cutting as she explained "I've just got a skill for cutting through dead organic matter. I love ripping through dead flesh it's… comforting to me"

"Alright masochist girl!" Hayley walked off "Keep cutting, I gotta find something for ya"

"Where is everyone anyway? I thought you said there was more staff here"

Hayley called from the main room "Well Dad will come down once he sorts the orders out. The others will show up soon so relax"

"Excellent work Shadow" cheered a voice

Shadow jumped back and held the knife up in defence. Her eyes wide and body shook with fright. She always hated it when people snuck up on her. Harlequin laughed beside her, knowing he had successfully scared her. "Still got it!" he grinned

"Oh, hey Harlequin" Shadow said as she went back to cutting

"So Hayley showed you around already?"

"Yeah, she explained everything to me"

"Wonderful!" cheered Harlequin as he sauntered out of the kitchen. A few books under his arms, he was obviously preparing for the evening business. Shadow just shook her head and thought _'What a weird guy'_

* * *

The high pitched scream of the alarm clock echoed as it was sent flying through the window. Seeing as the window was located on a tree house room it fell a deep distance and shattered on the ground bellow. The burly teenager pulled his blanket over his head. He didn't want to get up.

"Hey Barrel! Have you seen my hair gel!?" snapped a devilish teen as he burst into the room. He was probably nineteen with a devilish charm that made the girls go crazy over him. He had dangerous yellow eyes surrounded by red shadows, his fiery red hair was ruffled and messy the front half of it curved like the horns of a devil. To finish the devil image he even had a long devil tail. He wore a dark red T-shirt with a brighter red shirt over the top. The top shirt had its sleeves torn roughly off and was tattered from over usage, a dark red path sewn to the lower part of this shirt with a dark evil face smiling on it. He wore a pair of long dark red flares that was torn partly around his right knee and a pair of strange shoes that curved like an elf. Around his neck and wrists were thick spiked leather bracelets. "I need it! My hair's going flat!"

"Shut up Lock! I'm trying to sleep" growled his burly friend. He was eighteen but his height and muscle suggested he was older. His bloodshot eyes were surrounded by indigo shadows and his green and black hair was thick and ragged. He had large three pointed toes. Currently lying in bed shirtless, wearing nothing but his baggy pair of dark grey trousers with bone patterns stitched to the front of them.

"But Barrel! I have a hot date! I promised to meet with her in an hour!"

"Who is it this time?"

"A recently deceased. She was a rodeo singer but a bull got loose when she was singing something"

"Sucked in"

"Anyway I need my hair gel!"

"Get lost I haven't seen it! I just came home and fell into bed!"

"How the hell can you work as a dishpig anyway!?"

"You never complained when Harlequin gave me the CD player"

"AH! Why do I have to live with a retard!?" Lock roared as he stormed off "I'm gonna be late!"

Barrel turned over in his bed and laughed "What a loser… wait a minute! That's the time!?"

For emergency purposes Barrel always kept a number of clocks in his room. Just in case he threw his alarm out the window. "SHIT!" he growled as he tripped out of bed. He landed on the floor of his room with heavy thud. Barrel quickly got to his knees and snatched up his normal shirts. A baggy dark green shirt with an orange swirl patch sewn to the right shoulder. As well as a dark grey loose shirt with bone patterns stitched on the front. The sleeves of which had been torn off. He slipped his green shirt on as he ran out of the room.

A witch was stretched out on the couch in the main room. Just sitting back reading through a spell book as her room mates ran around. She was nineteen with piercing green eyes and her skin was tinged with a slightly green shade. Her hair was wavy and jet black. She had deep purple shadows around her eyes and over her eyelids. A tall purple witch hat perched on her head. Her clothes were peculiar for a witch, for one she didn't even wear a skirt. Instead she wore a pair of purple flares edged with purple swirl patterns. Her shirt was peculiar, it was a tattered black singlet that stretched out over her shoulders like claws. Beneath the tatters were tight purple sleeves that were trimmed with more tattered black fabric. A tight black and grey bodice decorated with bats was around her narrow contours. She wore a pair of pointed black boots, grey gloves and a violet choker.

She didn't even glance from her book as she growled "Why do you idiots keep running around the house anyway? It's not even on fire. Wait, have you two imbeciles been lighting fires again?"

Lock declared in rage "NO! I'm looking for my hair gel! Forget it! I'm outta here" he said as the devil dived out the window. His inhuman agility made it possible for him to land such jumps safely.

"Sorry Shock" said Barrel as he slipped his grey shirt on. He always was slightly afraid of his half sister, mainly because she was an excellent spell caster. He informed "Just running late for work"

The witch sighed "Relax Barrel, I'll warp you there"

"Really?"

"Yeah, the sooner you're outta here the sooner I can get to practising my magic without you two dimwits to interfere"

"Um… thanks? I think"

Shock snapped her thin fingers. Her magic instantly working as Barrel was now gone. Where she had sent him exactly, well… she didn't care. She just wanted her peace and quiet.

* * *

In the morning light a young corpse woman walked through the streets. She was stunning to gaze upon with light blue skin and luminous eyes. Her hair was a deep midnight blue and wavered around her exquisite body. One of her arms and legs were skeletal. She was dressed in a silvery blue and black outfit. Her tattered skirt altered in different shades of grey and blue. Around her torso was a black and silver bodice decorated with spider designs. A silvery blue singlet was beneath the bodice and a pair of pointed white boots on her feet. She was once known as the Corpse Bride. But after a certain incident she decided to travel and see the undead world, become a stronger woman. She paused with uncertainty as she heard a crash echo in a nearby alleyway. The corpse woman wandered to the source of the sound to see a very familiar figure.

Barrel pulled himself to his feet again and brushed off the dirt. Shock's warp had sent him sprawling into Halloweentown and crashing into a wall. It was lucky he was a heavier built individual or that fall would've caused more damage than a few scratches and bruises.

"Good afternoon Barrel" chirped a corpse woman

Barrel immediately stood up attentively. He was in the presence of one of his work superiors "H… Hello Ms Emily"

"Drop the Ms, it's just Emily. So why are you flying into walls anyway?"

"One of my sister's warp spells"

Emily laughed "So Shock's wrath strikes again. Better not be late"

Barrel stood up and walked alongside Emily to work.

* * *

Hayley burst into the kitchen as Shadow continued cutting up ingredients. The harlequin demonette waved an apron in front of Shadow. It was black decorated with a little orange Harlequin logo. Hayley was wearing one as all. She twirled excitedly "We just got these in last night! Aren't they cool!?"

"Yeah, they are actually" agreed Shadow

"Here's yours, the staff has gotta wear one except for dad because you can't miss him" Hayley passed Shadow her apron.

The back door of the kitchen opened as Emily and Barrel entered. Emily chimed "Afternoon Hayley"

"Hi Emily!" waved the demonette ecstatically. She gestured to Shadow "This is Shadow, she's just started work today. Shadow, this is Emily our chef and Barrel our garbage boy and dish washer, he's also a bouncer some times"

Shadow nervously said "Nice to meet you"

"Whoa, look at all this stuff you've already cut up! You've made my job so much easier" laughed Emily as she tied her long hair up. She quickly wrapped a black and orange bandana around her locks for hygiene purposes. "Hey are those the new aprons Harlequin was raving about?"

"Yes indeed, here's yours" Hayley quickly looked around the kitchen in search of Barrel.

"Great" Emily quickly tied it up around her and turned to Shadow "Alright, there's some other stuff I need you to chop up. You up for it?"

Shadow raised the knives in her hands and nodded with a sadistic grin. She loved playing with knives.

"BARREL!" called Hayley as she left the kitchen. She glared around the main room and saw Barrel on the opposite side. He turned from his conversation with Harlequin and said "What?"

Hayley sauntered towards him "I got something for you"

"Oh no! I am not wearing one of those aprons!"

"But this one is made for you! You'll look so good in it!"

"I'm not wearing an apron Hayley. Besides, no one sees me"

Harlequin informed "If you wear an apron you won't mess up your clothes. You don't want to hurt your clothes do you? They're already weeping from the poor condition you keep them in already"

"What?" Barrel cocked an eyebrow at Harlequin "How can my clothes be weeping?"

Hayley sighed with annoyance as she toyed with her lead pipe "Look Barrel, I'll be blunt with you. You can either, put the apron on and get to work. Or I can MAKE you put the apron on and you get back to work with a shattered rib"

"I'll take the apron" said Barrel as he snatched it up. From experience he had learnt that shattered ribs were a very bad injury.

"Good" smiled Hayley as she went back to the kitchen

Harlequin looked at the time and then to his pocket watch. The watch itself didn't tell the time. It just had three indicators on it with a small arrow that flickered between them. The titles of each indicator were 'Late', 'On time' and 'Early'. Right now the arrow was on the border line between 'Late' and 'On time'. He clapped his hands and said "Come on, we gotta get ready for tonight! Where is Kamen!?"

"No idea" shrugged Barrel as he headed back to the kitchen

Harlequin meditated and chanted to himself "I am a happy little elf in Christmastown. I do not have a care in the world, tra-la-la-la-la!" he started dancing around.

"Uh… boss? You alright?"

Harlequin stopped to find himself face to face with the final member of his staff, the DJ and the mummy kid all grown up. Now at the age of twenty he had grown tall and lanky. His only eye still peering out from the tangle of bandages on his face. But now there were two loose trails of tourniquet dangling from the back of his head. In his teenage years he had adopted the hobby of dressing like a pimp. So everywhere he went he wore his aquamarine hat with an orange band and purple feather on it, combined with the glory of his long pimping coat which was coloured with orange and purple stripes, aquamarine lining and flowing collar.

"Excellent Kamen, now get ready. We're opening in two hours!"


	6. The night is young

Lock walked through the night with his date. A corpse girl with a shattered spine dressed in a spangled cowgirl outfit. Judging by her appearance she was definitely a recently deceased. The handsome devil led her down into a tunnel concealed beneath a grave in the cemetery.

"Lock, I've had a great evening!" cheered the girl "Where are we going anyway?"

"Cassie, the night is still young and there's only ONE place to go!"

"Where?"

"Harlequin's Hideout! It's a night club down in the Catacombs"

"Sounds exciting!"

Cassie followed Lock down into the inky darkness of the tunnels. The further they travelled, the cleaner the hallway became. Strangely enough the deeper you went, the more civilised the tunnel looked. The sounds of guitars rocking with a sinister beat echoed through the tunnels.

"_Say your prayers little one. Don't forget, my son, to include everyone. Tuck you in, warm within. Keep you free from sin, till the sandman he comes"_

They came to a large set of spiked metal doors. A laughing Harlequin demon logo painted across it in bright orange paint. The sound of music echoed from within.

"_Sleep with one eye open, gripping your pillow tight. Exit light. Enter night. Take my hand off to never never land!"_

Cassie grinned as she heard the song "That music… It's Metallica!"

"What?" Lock tilted his head in confusion

"I know this song! It's 'Enter Sandman'!"

He ignored her happiness from recognising the song. "Cassie" smiled Lock as he took hold of a door handle "Welcome to the hideout!"

"_Something's wrong, shut the light, heavy thoughts tonight and they aren't of snow white. Dreams of war, dreams of liars. Dreams of dragon's fire and of things that will bite"_

_  
_The doors of the club swang open as Lock and Cassie entered the party. Already the masses had gathered to dance and indulge in the pleasures of the human world. Harlequin was running amongst them waving and cheering like a lunatic. He owned this place! He was the master of their fun lifestyles! He was the one to take these people to a place of dream like pleasure.

"Let's go dance please!" begged Cassie. Lock didn't have a choice as she dragged him to the dance floor.

"_Sleep with one eye open, gripping your pillow tight. Exit light. Enter night. Take my hand off to never never land!"_

Harlequin laughed to himself as he danced amongst the patrons of the club. He noticed Lock with yet another fine looking girl. Shaking his head he howled with a maniacal giggle, he knew one day Lock's world would shatter and he'd wake up to what life really is.

"_Now I lay me down to sleep. Pray the lord my soul to keep. If I die before I wake. Pray the lord my soul to take"_

Shock walked into the club unnoticed by its patrons. She was used to it. The witches always ignored her because she dared to think differently to them. Over time the trick or treating witch had become a fearsome figure of Halloweentown. She noticed Lock dancing with Cassie then saw another one of his girlfriends, a beautiful witch named Hazel dancing in a separate corner of the room. A sinister plan formed in Shock's head as she went over to her.

"_Hush little baby, don't say a word and never mind that noise you heard. It's just the beast under your bed, in your closet, in your head"_

Lock turned from dancing with Cassie to face an enraged Hazel. The music was too loud to converse in a civil manner. But her actions spoke louder. Hazel slapped Lock hard in the face before storming off. The devil turned to Cassie to find her walking away, a glare of disgust towards him now.

"_Exit light. Enter night. Grain of sand. Exit light. Enter night. Take my hand. We're off to never never land"_

Shock grinned with a wicked smile of self satisfaction. With Lock now dateless she continued with her evening. She headed to the bar to pick up a package of hers.

The song had ended. Everyone cheered as Kamen waved to his audience from behind his DJ station. He was known as the best DJ in Halloweentown (and the weirdo who dresses like a pimp). Reaching for the microphone he called "How ya all doing out there!?"

The roars and applauds of his audience echoed back at him.

"Excellent! Get your arses out on the dance floor as we crank it up with the Foo Fighters!"

As the crowd went wild with excitement, Kamen quickly flicked out another CD and played it instantly. A voice sang softly as a guitar gently played.

"_Keep you in the dark you know they all pretend. Keep you in the dark and so it all began…"_

The music sped up in tempo. The drums and guitars boomed louder.

"_Send in your skeletons. Sing as their bones go marching in... again. The need you buried deep. The secrets that you keep are ever ready, are you ready? I'm finished making sense. Done pleading ignorance! That whole defence!"  
_

Lock turned to see yet another attractive girl. He ignored the misfortunes of the past few minutes and switched targets. He wasn't gonna let a few knock downs ruin his evening as he danced closer to the girl.

__

"Spinning infinity, boy. The wheel is spinning me. It's never-ending, never-ending. Same old story!"

The song erupted in a wave of hypnotising beats and melodies. It sent its listeners into a dancing frenzy.

"_What if I say I'm not like the others!? What if I say I'm not just another one of your plays!? You're the pretender! What if I say that I'll never surrender!?"  
_

Shadow was bewildered as she carried dishes to and fro between tables and the kitchen. She never knew such melodies or items could be crafted by human hands. From first hand experience at Halloweens, she had always assumed they were halfwits.

"Having fun?" asked Hayley in the midst of the madness known as Harlequin's Hideout.

Shadow caught her breath "Yeah… surprisingly. Is that pimp mummy Kamen?"

"Yeah, wait, how do you know his name?"

"Barrel told me he was gay"

Hayley burst out laughing, almost dropping the cocktail she was mixing. Shadow asked again out of naïve curiosity "Well, is he?"

"Evening Hayley" cheered a young witch as she stood at the bar

"Shock!" Hayley almost leapt over the bar to greet her friend with a bear hug "How ya going!?"

"I was alright, you mind backing up a little?"

"Yeah, I do mind! I'm gonna squeeze you till your head pops off!"

"Stop it you crazy psycho!" Shock said as she slapped Hayley in the head

Hayley growled as she mixed drinks "Fine, be like that!"

"Anyway, I'm here to pick up a package. Your dad said it would be in today"

"No worries, I'll go get it!" the demonette wandered off into the staff only area.

Shock noticed Shadow keeping herself busy with cleaning nearby tables. The slender witch inquired "You're not from around here are you?"

"What makes you say that?" asked Shadow as she turned from her cleaning

"Well, for one you didn't react to my presence and two, I don't think I've ever seen a real Joker in Halloweentown"

"Your presence? You seem like a nice enough person… why? Am I meant to be afraid of you?"

Shock burst out laughing from the 'nice' comment. She recomposed herself quickly "No, it's just most people have learnt to fear me"

"Really? Why?"

"I'd rather not go into it. I'm Shock, Barrel's half sister"

"Nice to meet ya, I'm Shadow"

"Hey waitress! Get over here!" snapped a crude voice. Shadow cringed at the sound of it. But she had to grit her teeth and put up with it.

Shadow said "I hope to talk to you again Shock" as she walked off.

"Here's your package Shock" called Hayley as she returned to the bar, a small brown bag in hand. Waving it to her friend she taunted "Pay up for em!"

Shock went over to the demonette and smirked "You better have ALL the Lacuna Coil albums I missed"

"Let's see… Unleashed Memories, Karmacode and Comalies. You gonna take it or not?"

"Very well, I will take it" Shock handed a satchel of coins to Hayley. The witch quickly collected up the package. Hayley grinned at her friend, Shock's wicked face cracked a smile. The two girls started laughing to each other. It was amusing to them that they had to act professional to one another when dealing with packages.

* * *

Shadow approached the table where the voice had called out. Sitting in the booth was a ragdoll boy with skeletal features alone with his fellow goons, a few corpses and other monsters. From the moment they walked in they carried themselves with the image that said 'We're better than all you losers. You should be privileged to have us here'. It was then Shadow had overheard Barrel in the kitchen with Emily. Both of them wanted to bash the ragdoll boy, he was the spoilt Pumpkin Prince, Jason Skellington.

"Can I help you?" asked Shadow politely as she came to the table

The ragdoll boy laughed "Yeah, get us some more schnitzel! Now!"

"Alright then" she turned to leave.

"And don't eat any of it on the way back"

Shadow instantly turned with a blank face "What?"

"Come on, a heavy waitress? You gotta be sneaking food"

"I don't think so. Besides I just got into town yesterday. This is my first day of work"

"Whatever you say. But Scarlet told me other things"

"Scarlet? You mean that weird vampire girl?"

"Hey! She is not a weird vampire girl!" snarled Jason as he jumped up

"Well, she seemed like that to me"

"As if, you're just jealous of her beauty. You should be honoured to even talk to someone of the opposite gender, not like they'd go anywhere near you normally"

"So what? I got better things to do than get a boyfriend now"

"Take back your insult towards Scarlet"

"Why? It was just an opinion and it wasn't really an insult. Just a neutral comment based on observation"

"You're really pushing it girl!"

"So what? Please sit down so I can get your order"

"NO!" he threw his chair aside as he walked over to Shadow. Jason grabbed her from behind and placed a jagged knife to her throat. He gritted "Take it back, or else I'll cut your vocal chords out"

Shadow noticed her arms were still free. She moved swiftly knocking the dagger from Jason's hands. She then proceeded to elbow him in the face. Jason dropped to the ground, he had been overpowered by her.

"How dare you strike me!? Don't you know who I am!?" he shrieked

Shadow growled "I know who you are and honestly… I don't give a shit! What the hell is wrong with you!? You put a bloody knife to my throat!"

Harlequin stepped in and sneered "Causing trouble again Jason?"

"You should teach your staff some manners" growled the Pumpkin Prince

"You're in the wrong here pal. So you can leave or we can settle this on the floor!"

"I'll take your challenge!"

Kamen immediately stopped the music. Everyone halted their actions. Hearing someone was going to take the floor was always an important event at the Hideout. Shadow felt nervous as people began parting on the dance floor. She felt herself being led down to the floor by Harlequin. She panicked within, she had no idea what was going on _'I really am up shit creek without a paddle now…'_

* * *

_Lyrics from "Enter Sandman" by Metallica and "Pretender" by Foo Fighters_


	7. Got blood?

Shadow felt her heart beat madly, her breathing became shallow. Her hands were shaking as she felt her body break out a cold sweat. The dance floor was now surrounded by the patrons of the club. The floor itself was clean of people apart from Shadow, Jason and his nameless gimps. Shadow stood opposite to them at the other side of the floor. Harlequin was at the front of the sidelines to act as some form of adjudicator. She could see the weapons in Jason's hands, she could see his gimps getting ready for a fight.

'_I think I'm going to die… I don't even have a weapon'_ thought Shadow as she predicted what was about to occur _'I don't want to become a banshee'_ When a joker died they were reborn as undead banshees incapable of speaking (unless you wanted to kill someone) and forced to a life of solitude. That was the way of their clan.

Kamen took hold of his microphone and called out "Alright, looks like we got ourselves another person who doesn't agree with our codes here at the hideout. So it's time we teach them some lessons. We can see the stupid gits who question us on the floor right now"

Despite the fact he was a stupid git, Jason waved to the crowd. You could see his dagger in one hand, a strange glowing orange bracelet coiled around his opposite wrist. The girls cheered wildly making Shock cringe with disgust. The slender witch blocked her ears with annoyance _'How the hell do losers like him and Lock win the hearts of these idiots!? Honestly, these girls are an insult to my gender'_

"From what I heard there was a little dispute between our Pumpkin Prince and a new waitress" continued Kamen as he set the mood. Leaping a top one of the large speakers he waved his free hand as he retold the tale "Jason insulted a waitress, yet he was the one to attack back. Kinda stupid aye? Then again being of noble blood doesn't spare you from idiocy"

The crowd echoed with laughter. But Jason's small fan club of naïve girls remained strong and supported their idol by glaring at everyone.

Shock saw Barrel and Hayley push past her. She instantly knew what was going on. The witch quickly called to her friend and half brother "Good luck guys, try not to hurt them too much"

Barrel just grinned evilly. Hayley toyed with her lead pipe and said innocently "We won't"

"Care for a Screaming Murder?" laughed a perky voice

Shock suddenly found Emily standing beside her. They both had an ideal viewing point near the bar on the higher portion of the club. The corpse chef had left her post to watch the spectacle unfold. Shock noticed the glasses of cocktails in Emily's hands and with a grin replied "Definitely!"

The two girls clinked glasses and smiled "Cheers! We hope Jason gets his front teeth knocked out!"

Kamen diverted from his entertaining moves as he saw Hayley and Barrel manoeuvre through the crowd towards the floor. Like a cheerleader on crack he waved wildly "And to help the new girl sort out this dispute we have Barrel and Hayley!"

The crowds erupted as they clapped and screamed for their champions. Hayley cracked her neck as she readied herself. She shuffled on her feet allowing her body to get into a fighting mood. Barrel seemed more relaxed as he stood by Shadow.

Shadow nervously whispered to them "What exactly is going on?"

"Taking it to the floor" replied Barrel "Only rules are no strangling and no magic"

Hayley smiled "Sometimes you gotta beat the crap outta people before they learn some manners"

"Seeing as it's your first time Hayley and I agreed to be your partners for tonight"

"We're used to doing this"

"And Jason is always interesting to go up against because he cheats and pulls tricks at every opportunity"

Shadow looked between Jason's team and her new friends _'We're definitely outnumbered. But Hayley and Barrel seem to know what they're doing'_

The fighters glared at each other as they prepared for the carnage. All they needed was Kamen's signal to begin.

* * *

The mummified pimp DJ quickly leapt back to his station. He slipped another CD in the player. The classical strains of a guitar roared from the speakers. The drums picked up almost instantaneously into a frenzy. This was the signal for the fight to begin. Everyone began cheering for their favourite players. Lock was already working up a fury in the crowds as he chanted "Barrel! Barrel! Barrel!"

"_It's criminal! There ought to be a law. Criminal! There ought to be a whole lot more! You get nothing for nothing. Tell me who can you trust? We got what you want and you got the lust"_

Hayley bounced up and down in ecstasy "I LOVE THIS SONG!" as she charged in head first with her pipe armed and ready. Barrel and Shadow followed as the two mobs clashed on the floor.

"_If you want blood, you got it! If you want blood, you got it! Blood on the streets! Blood on the rocks! Blood in the gutter! Every last drop! You want blood, you got it!"_

Shadow punched anyone who came near her in self defence. She was actually scared for the first time in her life. She had never been in a real fight before. In amazement she watched Hayley tear through Jason's goons as she smashed them in head with her lead pipe and kicked them powerfully in the chest, sending them flying. Barrel on the other hand was not as nimble or quick as Hayley. But he wouldn't stay down when he was hit. His slow agility was balanced by his tremendous strength and vitality. One hit from him and you're out!

"_It's animal! Livin' in a human zoo. Animal! The shit that they toss to you. Feeling like a Christian. Locked in a cage. Thrown to the lions, on a second's rage!"_

Suddenly a long orange tentacle lashed out and ensnared Barrel around the neck. He fell to his knees as it coiled tightly around his throat. Jason laughed cruelly as he controlled his soul robber. Hayley turned wildly from a roundhouse kick and saw Barrel in danger. But Jason's goons made sure she couldn't get through.

"Barrel!" gasped Shock, Emily quickly grabbed the witch so she wouldn't interfere.

Lock immediately shoved his date off his body as he snarled "Jason you cunt! You know no strangling is allowed"

Harlequin could see the distress in Lock and Shock but if he interfered now. He'd be breaking the rules of taking it to the floor. That'd result in a tremendous dispute in the club.

Shadow fell to the ground with a heavy thud, she had been tripped up by a werewolf. Looking up she saw a sheathed machete lying on the floor _'Why the hell would anyone carry a machete at a club? They should've known they'd end up loosing it'_

The werewolf quickly disappeared from Shadow as he charged towards Barrel. The jester girl quickly got to her knees and saw what was happening. Formalising a plan she took hold of the machete and claimed it for herself. Quickly unsheathing the flawless blade she moved swiftly.

_"Blood on the rocks! Blood on the streets! Blood in the sky! Blood on the sheets! If you want blood - you got it!"_

Barrel turned his head to see the werewolf charge. Jason still held his neck in place and choked him of his breath. Strangely, the pressure around his neck vanished. The adrenaline kicked in as Barrel leapt up and tackled the werewolf to the ground before he commenced the pummelling.

Jason stood there with a clueless expression on his face. Almost like someone had just smacked him over the head with a wet fish. His soul robber went limp as half of it slinked back around his wrist. Shadow had run in and cut his soul robber so Barrel could keep fighting. It was beyond him how she found a machete.

"_I want you to bleed for me.__If you want blood, you got it! If you want blood, you got it!"_

With rage Jason charged, his skeletal body only enhanced his agility. His soul robber lashed out and solidified into a morning star. He was going in for the kill, he was going to crush Shadow's skull. Her eyes widened with fear as Shadow called upon the limited magic she possessed. She instantly vanished into a shadow upon the floor. Mere seconds before Jason's morning star came crashing down.

Shadow materialised behind Jason using the darkness in the room. Suddenly a pain shot through her shoulder. A zombie had come up behind her and had bitten her with his blunt teeth. His bite was powerful enough to draw blood.

* * *

"ENOUGH!" cried Harlequin. Kamen stopped the music. Everyone looked to him as the demon stomped through the crowd to Jason "Get out of my club and never come back!"

The prince scoffed "What are you talking about old man?"

"Every time you come in here you cause trouble. I've had enough of you. You know the rules, you cannot strangle people or try to kill them on the floor. This system is set up to extinguish our violent nature in a controlled situation. Not create a perfect cover for murder"

"What are you talking about?" he pointed to Shadow "She used magic!"

Shadow said nothing. She was too busy holding the bleeding bite on her shoulder. Her black blood was already pouring out, the zombie definitely got a vein in his attack.

Harlequin growled "Only in self defence, you were going to kill her!"

"So you worry when your staff will be killed. That's probably why I always loose at this"

"No way" Lock shoved his way to the floor. The devil growled and circled Jason in a taunting manner "You only loose because your daddy never taught you how to use a Soul Robber… or maybe, you never thought it'd be worth your time to listen to a master of that silly contraption"

"Stay outta this you criminal! I know exactly what you've done in the past!"

"You're dead meat!" Lock was about to strike the Pumpkin Prince but found himself restrained by Barrel. His friend shook his head at the devil.

"No one wants you here, so get lost" snarled Harlequin

Jason turned to leave as he signalled his goons to follow. He growled "I'll get my dad to shut this place down!"

Hayley laughed wickedly "Whatever you say. Try all you want but it'll never happen"

"Especially after what I've seen" Malice stood between Jason and the door. She winked mischievously "You try anything and I'll condemn you to nothing"

Humiliated Jason left Harlequin's Hideout. His pride had been shattered by the events of this evening. He was so used to getting his way, the only place that appeared immune to his charm and heritage was the Hideout. This was why it appealed to him so much.

"Alright! Everybody out!" called Harlequin "We're closed now"

Shadow remained silent as she watched people leave. Emily quickly came down with a medical kit to bandage the cuts and bites. Hayley went over to Shadow and said "Nice work out there, not bad for a first timer"

"I'm glad you think so…"

Lock quickly found himself being dragged along by the ghoul girl he had started dancing with. She said "Come on Locky Baby! Let's go somewhere else"

"No, I'm staying here" he replied as he shrugged her off. In all honestly he didn't even know her name.

"Well then, I'll stay with you too!"

"Nope, only a select few can stay here after hours"

"What!?"

"Get lost"

The ghoul girl slapped him fiercely before leaving.

* * *

_If you don't know the song, it's "If you want blood" by ACDC_


	8. Stay connected!

Shadow remained as still as possible. Emily was over her shoulder bandaging the bite mark and removing the teeth that had broken off in the young Joker's flesh. They were sitting alone in one of the Root Rooms. It seemed inappropriate to bandage Shadow's injury in the main room because she had to remain topless for the procedure.

"So are you living or undead?" inquired Emily as she rummaged through the first aid kit

Shadow replied "What do you mean?"

"Well, I need to know what antiseptic to use on this wound. Zombie bites have a high tendency to become infected with bubonic plague"

"Okay then, I'm a half-life"

"A what?"

"I'm not dead enough to be undead, I'm not alive enough to be living. I'm stuck in between"

"That just makes my job harder"

"Sorry"

Emily retrieved a few bottles of liquids and applied it Shadow's wounds "Don't be, these things happen. You're lucky though. Most first timers die on the floor"

"I guess it was lucky I found this machete. I wonder if it belongs to anyone" Shadow said as she stared at the sheathed blade.

"Well you found it on the floor, consider it yours" laughed Emily as she started bandaging the bite mark.

The jester girl growled as she saw the broken strap of her bra and the tear mark in her shirt "Stupid Zombie… he wrecked my bra! But I guess this shirt is still alright, just gotta wash it"

Shock opened the door slightly before slipping into the room. She had Shadow's coat and a new bra in her hands. "Here you go, I couldn't find any other shirts in your bag. There was just all this weird stuff and scalpels" replied the witch

"Scalpels? Why would anyone need those?" Emily questioned as she packed away the first aid kit. She had finished bandaging Shadow's shoulder.

"Well, I am going to become a mad scientist. So I gotta have a few scalpels lying around" Shadow replied casually as she slipped her bra back on. She buttoned up her jacket tight. Dismally glancing at her T-shirt she said "You guys know where I can soak this?"

"Probably a bucket in the kitchen you can use" suggested the corpse woman as the trio left the room.

* * *

Lock impatiently tapped his foot as he watched Kamen attend to Barrel. The CD player was still playing music. A hip hop rhythm combined with the energy of guitars and drums calmed him down a little.

"_I'm sharp like a thistle and I whistle like a scud. Missle this old man standing here is my blood! It's the butterfinger boys here to tell you what's up!? Anton turn the amps on and crank 'em up"_

Kamen closely examined Barrel's neck. There were a few red marks that would bloom in bruises later. "So how are you feeling anyway?" inquired the mummy

"Alright, still a bit dodgy to breathe though" he replied

"Well, your neck did get wrapped up in a Soul Robber"

"True"

Lock paced around them "So is he gonna be alright?"

"Relax, he'll be fine" laughed Kamen

"Alright, I'm outta here. Still gotta catch up with some ladies" the devil sprinted out the door.

"_So the crowd can hear us louder and clearer. Got ya head rockin' like a shot of opal nera. I don't drive a Camira but it's all good Still rollin' in the Holden (not the Kingswood!)"_

Kamen glared in the direction of the doorway. The mummy had watched Lock grow up alongside him. Despite their dislike towards each other they still felt a certain level of friendship. Kamen sighed "Barrel, is Lock always chasing skirts?"

"Yeah" said Barrel as he stood up "I don't know why though. He seems the most insecure outta the three of us at the tree house"

"What are you talking about? Where's Lock?" asked Shock as she approached them

"He's off again"

"What a retard. I'd rather hang around here"

"Why?"

"Honestly bro, your stupidity is unbelievable" Shock pointed towards Shadow. The Joker was currently following Emily trying to find a bucket to soak her shirt in. The witch informed "That's the new girl, we gotta get to know her more"

"Why are you here Shock? You don't even work here"

"She doesn't need a reason, she comes here enough" laughed Kamen

"_Hangin' for a hit of the shit we're cooking up. I'm on it like a comet so I keep ya lookin' up. Tonight we're rollin' dice so it's time I shook 'em up. I always liked it on the mic so it's time I took it up"_

_  
_Harlequin smiled at Malice as they came to a conclusion in their negotiations. Since closing he had been discussing the consequences of tonight's actions while the Mayor's daughter had been providing them with the perfect cover ups. Malice closed her bag to file away the documents. She said "That should cover everything up. Don't worry if Jason wants to press charges like the piece of crap he is. We got plenty of witnesses"

"Thanks Malice… does your dad know you help us?" inquired Harlequin. In the past it was always the Mayor who wanted his business shut down.

"Nope and I don't want him to know"

"Then why do you help us? A rebellion against your dad or something more?"

"Well… I don't like my dad. He's an indecisive fool"

"The cosmic plain will soon be balanced. A time will arrive when you and your father will see eye to eye. Ignore all spiteful thoughts of him as it only invites bad karma"

"Yeah… alright?"

"Why not stay for a few drinks? We're welcoming the new girl and I got the new Butterfingers CD!"

"Sorry, hip-hop ain't my style"

"But this is Aussie hip-hop! It's not like other hip-hop, this stuff is actually good! A part from the Beastie Boys… Much better than that other crap out there and don't even get me started on RnB, Rhythm and Bullshit indeed!"

Malice burst out laughing. It was common to see Harlequin rant about almost everything.

"_As a profession and I'm guessin' it's a natural progression. From here to fame but the game is a messin' with my head, better off dead? No I think not, cause look what I've got"_

_  
_Shadow quickly soaked her shirt in a bucket of water trying to get the blood out. Luckily her blood was black so it didn't stain as much.

"Stop worrying about your shirt and come out already!" snapped Hayley as she poked her head into the kitchen.

Shadow replied "Yeah, hang on"

But that wasn't good enough for Hayley. The demonette burst into the kitchen and dragged Shadow back into the main bar. Already Emily was mixing up drinks and bringing out the leftovers for the small group of people remaining. Kamen and Barrel were already eating while Shock was dancing around to the music with Malice.

"_We've got the hook up! That always comes through! You gotta stay connected, to the mad mad crew!"  
_

"What kind of music is this?" asked Shadow

Harlequin replied happily as he jumped up and down like a child "Aussie hip-hop, this is the 'The Hook Up' by Butterfingers! I finally got their new album today!" he quickly danced off.

Hayley laughed nervously "Yeah… my dad is addicted to Aussie music for some reason. ACDC, Butterfingers, Midnight Oil and Hilltop Hoods… he can't get enough of them. But relax, the night is over so we get to chill"

Shadow sat down at the table with Hayley as she surveyed the room. _'Looks like the start of something for me'_ she smiled to herself.

"_We've got the hook up! That always comes through! You gotta stay connected, to the mad mad crew!"_

"So Shadow, how did you find your first night?" asked Hayley

She shrugged "It was alright I guess"

"That was so funny, you cut Jason's soul robber!" laughed Barrel as he scoffed down a piece of schnitzel.

Kamen smiled beneath his bandaged face "Well, this is just a normal night. So you're still standing which is a good sign"

"Drinks are up!" cheered Emily as she sat down at the table "Come on guys I don't want to throw food out so dig in before I deliver all this to the slums"

"So Shadow, what brings you to Halloweentown?" inquired Shock as she sat down with Malice

"I just want to become a Mad Scientist" replied the jester "Dr Finklestein is the only master I know of so I want an apprenticeship with him"

Barrel gasped "With old Finky?"

"You gotta watch your back Shadow, that guy is bad news" warned his witch sister

She raised an eyebrow "What do you mean Shock?"

"Don't worry about them. They've just had some bad experiences with that guy" whispered Kamen

"You should come with me tomorrow to get registered at the Town Hall" said Malice "Everyone has to be. Don't worry, I'll help you out"

"Thankyou"

"A toast!" cheered Harlequin as he held his glass high "To the new girl!"

"Cheers!" said everyone as they clinked glasses

"_Butterfinger motherfuckers! Have got the hook up! That always comes through, you gotta stay connected to the mad mad crew! We've got the hook up that always comes through! You gotta stay connected to the mad mad crew!"_

_

* * *

_

Lyrics from "Hook up" by Butterfingers


	9. Registration

Shadow crawled from her bed. A dull pain lagged in her mind. _'Damn it, I shouldn't have drunk so much'_ she sat up and cracked her spine back in place. The door of her room opened as Hayley bounded in with her shirt. "You left this downstairs" chirped the demonette "Also Malice left me a message saying she'll meet outside Town Hall to get registered"

"Oh thankyou" Shadow replied as she took her shirt back. It still had a strange stain over the shoulder. "Where is the Town Hall anyway?"

"Well, we're in Hemlock Homestead at the moment. Just head to the fountain square, it's the big building there. You can't miss it"

Shadow said as she slipped her shirt back on "Thanks Hayley. I'll be down later to help you get set up for tonight"

"Take your time, see the town a little" replied Hayley as she sauntered out the door. Shadow quickly grabbed her hat and headed out of her bedroom.

Harlequin didn't look from his work downstairs. He didn't even sleep. Well, it wasn't to his schedule to sleep now. Harlequin worked six days straight with no sleep, then slept all day on the last day of the week.

"Just going down to the hideout to clean up Dad" said Hayley as she marched through the main area and headed downstairs.

"I have to go to Town Hall, I'll be back later" Shadow added as she walked out the front door.

Harlequin's mind then clicked and registered what they had said. He quickly added "Hayley, be careful down there. I think Barrel passed out down there last night… Hayley?" he looked around to see no one else around. With a casual shrug he laughed "Oh well, she'll find him soon enough"

His thoughts were disrupted once more as he heard a knock at the door. Harlequin turned from his work and opened up. "Behemoth, fancy seeing you at this hour" he chirped.

A tall, burly man walked in dragging his feet in a zombie like trance with a plain, dumbstruck expression on his face. An axe was buried in his cranium. He was wearing an old pair of overalls, thick gloves and work boots. "Darh…" he groaned like a brain dead idiot

Harlequin quickly closed the door and searched the area for any point of eavesdropping. "Alright buddy, it's clear"

"Excellent" replied Behemoth. He straightened his spine and stood erect. His voice changed from a growl to a voice of wicked intelligence and malicious character. "I can't stand putting on this stupid act. It may have granted me my fortune but it's so annoying to put up with"

"I know, you're probably the smartest guy in Halloweentown. Too bad that prank where you acted like a brain dead moron got you registered as mentally handicapped"

"Still, this act has been helpful. No one even suspects me and my little games"

"So why are you here anyway? You never come to me at a time like this unless you need a favour"

Harlequin and Behemoth were two of the five rulers of the underground crime world. Before Jack was crowned Pumpkin King these five rulers already had an established position in Halloweentown. Harlequin was in charge of dealing with illegal products from the human world. Behemoth on the other hand was a moonshiner. He was capable of making alcohol that had the same quality as the fine wines and spirits of the vampires. The other three of their little game was Oogie (deceased a long time ago at the hands of Jack), Maul and Mr Hyde.

"I was interested in enlisting your new girl as a moonshine runner" said Behemoth

Harlequin trembled, he clearly understood the magnitude of danger in that job "Why? She's just a green horn"

"I saw her magic at work last night, could be very useful in our line of work. Mr Hyde informed me she needs money and you know I pay very well. At least a thousand souls for one night's work"

"Sorry Behemoth. I can't let you hire her. Not now. To send someone that inexperienced into your line of work is suicide! Especially with your war on the vampires!"

* * *

Shadow walked through the strange streets of Halloweentown. The trio of musicians on the street corner played their haunting melodies as others passed them by. Everyone else seemed to push past in some unknown hurry. Nervously Shadow approached the musicians and asked "How do you get to the Fountain Square? I'm a little lost"

"Just head down there and turn left" replied the saxophonist

Shadow turned out her pockets "Thanks… I'd give you some money but I'm broke"

"At least you actually consider giving us cash. People just walk past without batting an eyelid. See ya round jester girl"

"See ya" waved Shadow as she went her own way. She followed his directions and ended up at Fountain Square. This area is the main point of Halloweentown that linked to all parts of the twisted town. In the centre was a large fountain with a serpent statue breathing green water into the well.

Malice turned her eyes from the clock and surveyed the area. She saw Shadow and snapped "There you are!" snatching up her hand she ordered "Come along, we need to get this over with!"

* * *

Jack looked down upon his son, Jason only came up to his shoulder. His mind unconvinced as Jason retold his father the events that led to the destruction of his Soul Robber. "Then these people mobbed us on the dance floor. I tried to fight back but a waitress came through with a machete and cut my Soul Robber" Jason bounced around and waved his arms as he told his tall tale.

The Mayor stood by Jack intently listening. He chimed "You brave soul"

Jack however was not convinced by his son's story. He folded his arms and growled "I hope you realise, if you went to Harlequin's Hideout of your own free will then you're to blame for the damage"

"How do you know the name of the club!?" exclaimed Jason

"That place has been around for many decades. I used to hang out there when I was young" Jack narrowed his eye sockets "I know Harlequin's business very well and whilst I disagree with what he's doing. He does abide to the laws of Halloweentown. I've also learnt to not displease him, he's a very good friend of Maul"

Jason and the Mayor both trembled from hearing that name. Maul was the werewolf of Halloweentown, a sadistic psychopath who will kill you in cold blood without a second thought. If anyone suddenly went missing he was always a prime suspect.

"So Jason, I'm afraid I don't buy your story" replied Jack

"You… you don't even trust your own son!" snapped the Pumpkin Prince "And you wonder why I disobey you!"

"Don't you dare take that tone of voice with me! I've always trusted you! But all these occurrences and rumours have humiliated me and your mother! I'm through with trusting the tales of a liar! Now get out of here and go to Dr Finklestein. He might repair your Soul Robber if you behave!"

Jason gritted through his teeth "I hate you" before storming off. The Mayor stood silently as he had seen the whole scene unfold. He'd never say it to Jack's face, but he hoped Jason never becomes the next Pumpkin King.

Malice and Shadow saw Jason stomp past them. The Pumpkin Prince immediately glared at Shadow. He didn't have to say anything, his hatred for her was crystal clear.

"Don't worry about him, he's a jack arse" informed Malice "Probably still angry you cut his Soul Robber. But that's none of our concern"

Shadow didn't say anything as she walked next to Malice towards the back of the Town Hall. They passed the rows of seats. Standing before the stage and podium was a tall skeleton wearing a tattered black suit. Next to him was a short, stout man dressed in a suit with a spider tie and a tall hat upon his head.

"Morning Malice" chimed the short man

"Hi Dad" Malice gestured to the jester standing beside her "This is Shadow, she's new in town and needs to be registered. Shadow, this is my Dad the Mayor and the Pumpkin King, Jack Skellington"

"Nice to meet you" bowed Shadow

Jack smiled "Interesting, I can't remember the last time I saw a Joker in Halloweentown"

"Pleasure to welcome another citizen to our town, let me find the papers" the Mayor quickly went through his briefcase of papers and forms. His smiling face quickly whirled to a frantic pale expression in a mechanical click. He wailed "Oh no! I can't find them!"

"Let me see" Malice snatched the case from her father. Within seconds she found the form "This is it"

The Mayor's face switched back to the happy expression "Oh yes. Now Malice would you be the scribe while I interview Shadow"

"No problem"

Jack asked "Do you mind if I stay here and listen?"

"Only if Shadow has a problem with it" said the Mayor

Shadow nervously answered "No, you can stay if you want" Honestly she didn't know what to think. She had never been in the presence of royalty before.

The Mayor began the interview "Alright, I need your full name, age, species and hometown to start off with"

"I am Shadow Nightbane, I'm nineteen years old and I come from the Joker clan of Sleepy Hollow"

"What class of Joker are you though?" inquired Jack. He quickly explained to the confused Mayor and Malice "Jokers are broken into four classes depending on the birthmarks of their faces. Each class has a different ability"

"Really?" said Malice. She looked over to Shadow "I had no idea"

"Well, I'm a Jester" replied Shadow "My marking is beneath my right eye"

Jack nodded "A specialist in the manipulation of the dark"

"So Shadow" interrupted the Mayor "Where are you living?"

She answered "I rent a room at Harlequin's house. It's only temporary until I find a place of my own though"

"Any family in Halloweentown?"

"None, all my relatives live in Sleepy Hollow"

After a few more mundane questions of her existence Shadow had finally completed the interview. She was now registered as a citizen of Halloweentown.

* * *

Jack watched Shadow leave the Town Hall with Malice. The Mayor looked up to him in curiosity and asked "How did you know about the Joker clan?"

"I guess I've always been curious about them" replied the Pumpkin King

"Why is that?"

"Well, in my great grandfather's day. There used to be Jokers living in Halloweentown. But apparently there was a dispute between them and the citizens of our town. As a result the Jokers left. This all happened before my grandfather came to power"

"But why would they leave like that?"

"I guess it's to do with the way Jokers celebrate Halloween. You know how everyone comes back to Fountain Square normally to attend the after party?"

"Yes, what about it?"

"Jokers leave the human world and head to a plain of the Underworld. To a place where their powers originate, the Labyrinth of Illusion, it is there that they unwind after a night of scaring. It's because of that little tradition people started getting angry with the clan. Mainly because no one else was allowed to enter the labyrinth"

"Now that's just ridiculous"

Jack agreed with a nod _'That was the most believed reason behind their departure. There's actually a deeper reason that constantly eludes me'_ Yet he couldn't get out of his mind why a Joker as young as Shadow would just show up in Halloweentown. She didn't tell him at all. _'I better visit Mr Hyde, he'd know more about her than anyone else'_

* * *

Jason walked into Dr Finklestein's laboratory. Igor was beside him shuffling around nervously. The Pumpkin Prince kicked the mutant. Igor quickly announced "Master, Jason here to see you"

"Ah Jason" beamed Dr Finklestein as he turned from his work "Igor you may leave"

Igor turned and shuffled off _'Stupid brat, he not think Igor is person! And master, he think Igor is just slave! I show them both one day! Only Jewel nice to Igor'_

"Hello Doctor" said Jason in a polite tone "I was wondering if you can repair my Soul Robber"

"Oh yes, of course I can. I'll do it right now"

"Thankyou"

Dr Finklestein took the two broken slivers of Jason's Soul Robber. He rummaged through his desk to retrieve a metal container that was heavily locked up. Retrieving many keys from his pocket he unlocked the small chest and opened it. Within were bottles of strange and unknown fluids. He quickly picked out the one he needed. It was a jar of black viscous liquid. Retrieving a small brush he dipped it in the liquid and painted it upon the two broken ends of the Soul Robber. Placing them together the weapon fused itself together, an instant repair.

"Wow! That was awesome!" cheered Jason as he wrapped his Soul Robber around his wrist "What is that black stuff anyway?"

The doctor grinned evilly "Just a key ingredient in the making of a Soul Robber"


	10. That time of the month

"DAMN IT LOCK!" yelled Shock at the top of her lungs. The devil leapt back in sheer terror as the enraged witch burst into his bedroom. He quickly dived under his bed. His tail still writhed out in the open like a snake.

Shock grabbed Lock's tail and dragged him into the open "What did you do with my Lacuna Coil CDs!? I only bought them home a few hours ago!"

"What makes you think **I** had something to do with it!?" nervously replied Lock. His face already showed signs that he was guilty. He was breaking into a cold sweat.

"Because you're the only one immature enough to ditch the CDs of a band you don't like!"

"What about Barrel?"

"He's too busy ogling Hayley, you know what time of the month it is for her. That's why he didn't come home last night"

"Really!?" Lock's fear shattered as excitement overcame his heart "Well I better go find her then"

Shock snatched his tail as he ran past "Not so fast loser! Where are my CDs?"

"I don't have them"

"Well then, looks like I'll smash your favourite CDs while you perve on Hayley"

"NO!" Lock sprinted over to his metal chest of CDs. He stood before it in a protective manner "No not my music!"

"You do realise listening to punk makes you sterile"

"But I love it!"

"Give me back my Lacuna Coil and I won't smash your Pennywise and Gwar collections"

"Alright! Alright!" Lock went to his cupboard and started madly tearing through his possessions. He finally retrieved Shock's CDs and handed it over to her.

"Now that wasn't so hard" cackled the wicked witch. She strolled out of Lock's bedroom victorious. Lock quickly left his room via the window. He frantically sprinted towards Halloweentown with all his might. _'I can't miss it this time! I missed it last month!'_

* * *

Shadow wandered through Halloweentown. She was finally getting her bearings in the strange town now she had a chance to explore. This morning, she had walked through most of the main regions of the town. It already midday by now. _'Maybe tomorrow I can check out the cemetery and briars'_

"Hey Shadow!" called Hayley from a street corner. She was with Kamen and two others Shadow couldn't recognise. One was a tall, stocky corpse boy. His eyes were stitched shut yet he moved around like he could see perfectly. He had a beanie with a scary monster face over his short brown hair. He was wearing a long sleeved stripped shirt, a pair of brown trousers and a pair of plain grey boots. Sitting up on a wall was a dark blue skinned bat boy. He was a midget that only came up to an average person's waist. He had blood red eyes with slit like pupils and scruffy dark grey hair. His wings were long for someone of his size, they were practically the height of him. A long pointed tail and claws for hands and feet. The only clothing he wore was a pair of tattered shorts with a green belt around his waist.

"Hey Hayley, Kamen" she said cheerfully as she approached them. Kamen titled his hat to her like a cowboy of the west.

The corpse boy commented "You must be the new girl, Shadow, right?"

"We saw you fight last night" laughed the bat boy. Strangely he possessed an adult's voice.

"Yeah that was me" admitted Shadow "So who are you guys?"

"I'm Ethan, I'm a fisherman" replied the corpse boy

The bat boy grunted "Fang"

"Nice to meet you both. Hayley, I thought you were cleaning up the place? I was just going back to the hideout to help" said Shadow

Hayley grinned as she played with her lead pipe "Well, I had to step out to organise a few restocks of food so I had to track down Ethan for the seafood"

"But we easily get distracted when we all meet up like this" laughed Kamen

"Hey guys, Scarlet's heading this way" commented Fang as he looked over to the end of the street.

"Oh crap, not this bitch again"

Shadow asked "You mean that chick with mental problems?"

"Where is she? I'll crack her bloody jaw" growled Hayley as she readied her pipe

"Shadow, why don't you and Hayley head back" suggested Kamen "I think it would be a lot less messy that way"

"Alright" Shadow replied as she grabbed Hayley by the hand and dragged her off. Scarlet just made it over to find Kamen, Ethan and Fang hanging out at the street corner.

"I could've sworn I saw her here" she sighed as she held her umbrella tightly

Ethan said politely "Excuse me, is there something we can help you with?"

"No, unless you can kill my illegitimate sister" Scarlet stomped off back towards the vampire castles. Scarlet and Hayley never got along. It was a well known fact. But no one really knew what had happened between Scarlet's mother and Harlequin. The rumours around their little one night stand had erupted into a blurred mess of exaggerated stories.

"Why does she hate Hayley so much?" asked Ethan "I always thought people would want to know who they're related to"

Fang shrugged "No idea, Scarlet's just a bitch though"

"Don't be like that, maybe she's just under a lot of pressure from being a vampire countess and the girlfriend of the Pumpkin Prince. Quite big shoes to fill"

Kamen and Fang looked at each other as they both chimed "Nope, she's a bitch"

A few seconds passed before Lock came sprinting in from around the corner. Still catching his breath he said "Kamen, Fang, Ethan, where's Hayley gone!?"

"What? Why?" replied Kamen

"Guys, it's THAT time of the month for her"

"Oh right! What are we doing standing around here!?" Instantly the four boys ran off in pursuit of Hayley.

* * *

Shadow and Hayley kept walking down the streets calmly as they made their way back to the hideout. As they walked Shadow noticed something peculiar about Hayley. The scales at the bottom of her torso were beginning to fall from her midnight skin. "Hayley… are you shedding your scales?"

"What?" Hayley noticed the scales dropping rapidly from her midsection. It now looked like she was wearing a revealing tank top. She sighed "Oh yeah, that" she shrugged nonchalantly "No big deal, happens every month"

"I can see your nipple…"

Hayley just shrugged as they kept walking at their casual pace. Shadow couldn't help but notice with every passing moment the scales on Hayley were quickly dropping. She was practically topless by the time they reached Harlequin's house.

"Nice rack though" commented Shadow as she adjusted her mind to Hayley's attitude towards the situation "You gotta be a double D cup at least"

"Actually I'm an E" chirped Hayley as they entered. Seconds later Lock, Ethan, Fang and Kamen had caught up having followed the trail of scales.

"DAMN IT!" cried Lock as the trail ended at Harlequin's house

Fang wailed "We're too late!"

"We missed it…" sobbed Kamen

"That's twice in a row for me" commented Lock

The pimped up mummy hugged Lock "I feel sorry for you, you poor soul"

"This is just ridiculous. It's completely rude as well to perve on a woman" pouted Ethan

Fang smugly added "Then why are you here?"

* * *

He opened his eyes. He was staring up at the underside of a table. Barrel surfaced from underneath to find himself still at Harlequin's Hideout. It had been cleaned up a bit for this evening but there wasn't anyone around. With a pounding head Barrel headed towards the exit _'How much did I drink last night?'_

"Afternoon Barrel" called Emily as she poked her head out of the kitchen

Barrel was surprised "Emily? You're here already!?"

"Of course I am, it's already one in the afternoon"

"Oh man… I feel sick" he groaned

Emily left the kitchen and went over to him. She quickly checked his eyes and said "Yeah, you're really hung over and I guess your injuries from last night really messed with you"

"But I still gotta work, I'm the only one bring a steady flow of cash to the tree house. Shock's jobs always varies in cash and Lock… he's broke one second and rich the next"

'_I didn't ask for your life story'_ Emily thought as she said "Just sit at the bar and I'll make you something to help with the hangover"

Hayley walked into the hideout with Shadow. Immediately the jester went into the kitchen to help with the slicing. The demonette noticed her co worker sitting over at the bar "Hey Barrel, I didn't know you were here"

"Oh, hi Hay-" Barrel's jaw dropped as he turned around. She was topless and he could see every detail of her naked torso. His eyes fixed on her breasts.

"You alright?" asked Hayley as she leaned over and waved a hand in front of his face.

"Hayley go upstairs, you've shed your scales and I don't need you giving boners to all the boys who walk in. It's bad for business" laughed Harlequin as he wandered into the hideout "I'll get Shock to work tonight for you"

"Alright" answered his daughter as she went upstairs. Harlequin didn't really understand why that happened every month. But it usually took a night to regrow the scales once more. "Now you know how I felt when I saw her mother. Here" he said as he passed Barrel an old Playboy magazine and gestured to his erection "Go into a Root Room and get rid of that"

Barrel's face turned red with embarrassment. He quickly shuffled off into a Root Room and slammed the door shut. _'What the hell is wrong with that guy? I perved on his daughter and he hands me a Playboy!?'_

* * *

Emily and Shadow paused in the kitchen as they heard a knock at the staff door. Shadow turned back to her work and kept cutting up whatever Emily told her to. Emily went to the door and opened it a little. A second passed as she recognised who was at the door.

"SALLY!" exclaimed Emily as she hugged the woman at the door.

The ragdoll laughed "Ah! Stop it! You're hurting me!"

"Sorry, I always like seeing you again. We haven't been able to talk as much because of your troubles at home"

"I know what you mean, I don't know what to do with Jason. He ignores me completely… he doesn't even introduce me to his friends as his mother"

"Calm down Sally. He'll be sorted out soon enough. He's still a teenager"

Emily and Sally had become close friends since the corpse bride had wandered into town. Sally helped Emily get through the heartbreak of her previous experiences. They had been close friends throughout years.

"Anyway, let me introduce you to my new helper, Shadow"

Shadow's attention was diverted as she heard her name. She turned to see a tall ragdoll woman with long flowing red hair. Her skin tinged with a hint of blue. Her entire body appeared covered in stitches. She was dressed in a beautiful patchwork dress.

"Nice to meet you" smiled the ragdoll "I'm Sally, Jack's wife"

"And Jason's mother…" Shadow's relaxed tone turned frantic and panicked. She quickly blurted out "I'm really sorry about breaking his soul robber but he was gonna kill Barrel"

"It's alright, I understand"

Emily changed the subject "So what brings you down here anyway? I haven't seen you and Jack here since you became pregnant"

"Well" Sally's voice trailed off before she explained "I came here to pick up something from Harlequin"

"No social visit, oh well, come to club when it's open some time. We need to see more of you down here"

"Harlequin should be in the main tavern for you" informed Shadow

"Thankyou" smiled Sally as she left the kitchen. Almost instantly Shock walked in through the staff door with a heavy pack over her shoulder "Hey guys"

Emily turned to the door "I could've sworn I locked that"

"You did but these locks are quite easy to break open" replied Shock as she hid the pack in the pantry. She made sure it was out of sight.

"Only because you know what you're doing"

"I didn't know you worked here Shock" commented Shadow

"Only when Hayley has her time of the month" Shock quickly places a few garlands of garlic around her pack "Oh yeah, you see any vampires sniffing around here make sure you get rid of them real quick. Remember there is nothing that belongs to them here and that they're crazy retards"

Emily sighed "What did you steal from them now?" It was almost like this sort thing happened on a regular basis.

"Nothing" grinned Shock as she grabbed an apron. She whispered to Shadow "Yeah I'm a thief, get over it"

Shadow scratched her head "Really? I never thought of you as a thief"

"You really are naïve" cackled Shock

Emily immediately snapped "Shadow, don't you dare start handling food without washing that hand!"

* * *

Sally was in Harlequin's home by now. The multi coloured demon was rummaging through a small cupboard. This room was used for his more 'rare' or 'special' items from the human world. She sat upon the couch that was messily cleared of blueprints. _'How do people live here? It's a blueprint storeroom'_

"Here we are" smiled Harlequin as he came out carrying a package. He placed it before Sally and unwrapped it. The ragdoll gasped with amazement as Harlequin displayed the various fabrics to her. One was a black silk adorned with a rim of intricate cobweb patterns sewn with silver thread. Another was a ghostly silver and white lace. Next to it was a black fabric that looked quite ordinary and plain, but as it wavered in light it changed colour to various shades of blue and purple. The fourth was a transparent black fabric woven with shimmering beads that swirled and coiled upon its surface.

"It's amazing…" commented Sally as she stared at the fabrics. She was mesmerised by their quality and beauty.

"I'm sorry the order took so long. I just want to get something that seemed right for you"

"No Harlequin, don't be sorry. They're perfect"

"To think you'll be able to create a gown to die for. Jack won't take his eyes off you for a nanosecond"

"How much do I owe you?"

"I'll charge you two hundred and fifty souls for all of them"

Sally's eyes opened in amazement "For all these fabrics!? And for so much of it! I've seen fabrics like these sell for at least five hundred dollars a metre in human money!"

"Think of it as a discount" shrugged Harlequin "But you better make something beautiful from them"

"But it feels like I'm robbing you"

"To me, it feels like I'm balancing our karmic plains"

"Thankyou Harlequin" Sally smiled as she handed over the money. She didn't want to admit she didn't understand what he meant by 'karmic plains'.


	11. Just another night

"_Where do we draw the line, nobody seems to have a clue, we're at each other's throats cause we don't share a point of view so what's the problem, can't see beneath the shade of skin, a vicious circle, a human race no one can win"_

The dance floor was going mad as the frantic punk rhythms tore through the musty catacomb air. It was another night of business at the Hideout and it was still early in the night. Kamen nodded along the beats of the music of Pennywise. He liked putting in a punk track every so often because he personally enjoyed their music.

"_The world is a smoking gun that is loaded, soon it's gonna blow you away but till now nobody has noticed but we're goin' to have our say!"_

_  
_Lock madly danced to the music. He loved the punk genre through and through, as long as it wasn't some Emo trying to be tough (aka Fallout Boy). Dancing with him were two ghostly beauties who were actually twins. He had managed to seduce them earlier that day.

"_It's just a state of mind, it's not reality, it's all psychosomatic static inhumanity, a savage mental sickness that plagues the human race, it's goin' to blow up in your face, the world is a smoking gun that is loaded, soon it's gonna blow you away but till now nobody has noticed but we're goin' to have our say!"_

_  
_Shock grinned wickedly from the bar as yet another one of Lock's 'girlfriends' stalked through the dancing crowds to the devil. Lock immediately froze up as the girls all noticed each other and started arguing. This seemed to be a ritual at the Hideout. It could be easily avoided if Lock took his dates to other places. But Lock was not the sharpest tool in the shed.

"_The world is a smoking gun that is loaded, soon it's gonna blow you away but till now nobody has noticed but we're goin' to have our say!"_

The three girls slapped Lock as they all stormed away. The devil stood along momentarily as his brain tried to register what was going on. Kamen announced on his microphone "And here's a little tribute to Lock, our favourite Casanova and heartbreaker. It's from the new Butterfingers album"

Lock paused momentarily as he heard the keyboards and strange techno rhythms echo through the speakers. He never quite understood Aussie or British hip-hop. Mainly because they seemed to be music genres of their own and didn't solely consist of lyrics that went on about the singer's troubled living conditions and past of abuse.

"_When I'm not fucking all I wanna do is fuck and get the hell outta there after I bust a nut. Because I'm not one for permanent attachment, girls wonder where the dick that was in their snatch went. I'll be out the door and you won't see me for a week. Until I crave the attention of a butt naked freak"_

Shock broke out into hysterical laughter from listening to the words. She was laughing so hard her ribs hurt. "Shock? Shock, are you alright?" asked Shadow. The jester girl was standing across from her as she waited for a tray of food from the kitchen.

"Fine, it's just… I can't believe someone wrote a song about Lock!" replied the witch as she wiped away a tear.

"_River city girls are shitty now they all scoff me. I do not have the time to take you all out to coffee! Sorry! Just trying to be honest with you. You can call me motherfucker til I get the picture. Cap me, slap me, dis in a rap me! You can call me motherfucker that'll make me happy!"  
_

Barrel poked his head from the kitchen and queried "Why is there a song about Lock playing?"

"Relax bro, it's Kamen's little tribute to our devil friend" giggled Shock

Shadow raised an eyebrow in curiosity. She didn't quite understand Shock and Barrel. She quickly took up the orders and served them to their waiting customers.

"_Sorry! Just trying to be honest with ya! You can call me motherfucker Till I get the picture"_

* * *

Shadow paused nervously as she saw Scarlet stomp over to the bar. The Lolita vampire seemed so out of place in her finely tailored dress. Also the way she carried herself made people notice her. She was just a very arrogant and uptight individual, completely out of place in the laid back atmosphere of the Hideout. The vampire countess marched to the bar and growled to Shock "Where is it!?"

Shock casually turned to her as Barrel went back into the kitchen. The very sight of the teenage vampire made Barrel sick to his stomach. The witch asked innocently "Where's what?"

"Where is my jewellery box and all of its contents you low life scum!?"

"I haven't got it"

"Lies, you're a thief. A low life thief! You stole my jewellery"

"What proof do you have to convict me of such a crime?"

"I… um…" Scarlet paused awkwardly during her rant. She quickly reassured herself as she sensed Shock was getting the better of her. "Ï know it was you"

"If you got no evidence then you can't blame me for anything. You do realise there are more thieves out there than just me"

Scarlet gritted her teeth at Shock. She loathed the matured witch. It was evident Shock had talent for magic seeing as she didn't use potions, wands or even a familiar to cast her spells. But the witch never seemed to use her powers for the greater good. This infuriated Scarlet and all her traditional ideals of Halloween.

"Look Scarlet, either calm down and leave the club or get lost" informed Shock coldly

The vampire turned from Shock and noticed Shadow in the corner of her eye. Scarlet glared at Shadow and smirked "So I see you finally found a place where you belong, wideload. A servant to the scum of Halloweentown"

Shadow just remained silent. She didn't want to start anything.

"Too spineless to even reply to the likes of me" Scarlet grinned "Maybe you're not as dumb as you are large"

"Back off Scarlet. Are you blind? She's got a larger rack than you not to mention the contours of her body are more defined than yours" mocked Shock right to the vampire's face "Of course, you got no figure unless you're wrapped up in many layers of bodices and tight undergarments"

"Shut up!" growled Scarlet

"Get outta here you loser and stop wasting out time. We got work to do"

Scarlet stormed off having failed in reclaiming her jewellery box. She despised Shock almost as much as Hayley.

Shock turned to Shadow "You can't let people talk to you like that"

"Well, I don't see why I should reply to such an immature act" the joker nervously replied. She still felt uncomfortable from seeing Scarlet again.

"What do you mean?"

"To me Scarlet seems to be suffering from deep psychotic trauma that is most likely caused by her status. I mean the fact that she pretends to be attractive when no one appears to be chasing her. She all fart and no shit"

"Whatever, I just reckon she's got permanent PMS" Shock sighed "You really need to stick up for yourself though. You can't help the fact you're one of us now"

"What? I don't understand"

"Look around, all the girls of our generation in this town are all the freaking same. Then you got Hayley, the maniac with a lead pipe, Malice, the schizophrenic legal genius, myself, the magnificent thief and witch, and finally you, the outsider from some clan no one has even heard of who wants to knock Finky off his pedestal. We need to stick together because all the girls pretty much despise our very presence"

"No way Shock. They don't hate us"

"Talk to me in a year or so and tell me how many female friends you have"

"Yeah whatever" laughed Shadow

* * *

Jack walked through the darkest streets of Hemlock Homestead. They were ancient, some of the first buildings to rise in Halloweentown. But this was where he needed to go. Everyone in Halloweentown knew that you could always find Mr Hyde at his home, the archives. Give him the right payment and he'll tell what you need to know. Jack came to a heavy iron door on an ominous house. There were barely any windows. He knocked three times, the signal someone had come for information and not a social visit.

"Ah… Jack Skellington" said Mr Hyde as he opened the door. The ghastly looking gentleman stood before the Pumpkin King dressed in his usual green clothing and top hat. His wiry hair poked out from beneath his hat. "Please, come in"

Jack remained silent as he followed Mr Hyde down the narrow entrance hall. He came out to the hermit's main room. A massive library crammed with all manners of documents and texts. Hanging above them were more shelves and elaborate chandeliers that illuminated the room.

"So, what can I do for you?" rasped Mr Hyde as he sat down by his desk

"I need information" replied Jack "About the Joker clan and this new girl in town, Shadow Nightbane"

"What is your payment?"

Jack passed Mr Hyde a heavy book "A copy of the Skellington family records. Every dirty detail of my family's history is here dating back to the days of my great grandfather"

"I already know all that has occurred between you to your grandfather. I will take the payment of your great grandfather's record for vital pieces of information" replied Mr Hyde

The smaller version of himself poked out from a draw "But for this payment I cannot tell you much"

"It is up to you to piece it together" informed the smallest Mr Hyde

"I agree to your terms. I'm not afraid of a challenge" grinned Jack

Mr Hyde lighted his pipe and took a few puffs. He went on to say "The new girl, Shadow Nightbane. Back home she was quite skilled at illusionary arts but chose the path of science instead. Majoring in biology she hopes to train under Dr Finklestein to become a Mad Scientist. The deal is she must gather ten thousand souls in order to pay for the apprenticeship. She is currently working with Harlequin at his club to make the money. Her actions at the club have also made her a hot topic amongst the younger members of this town"

"Yeah, Jason was telling me about a new girl" pondered Jack

"As for the Jokers… there are some mysteries that are better left undisturbed. Are you sure you wish to know more about them?"

"Yes, I need to know everything about the clans of this world. I need to know what happened"

"The Joker disappearance occurred a long time ago. In the day of your great grandfather, right about the time a young apprentice was about to become the next Mad Scientist of Halloweentown. He just needed a new invention to impress the Pumpkin King so he could get the job. It is because of this invention that the apprentice has remained as the Mad Scientist of our town"

"Dr Finklestein… what did he make!?"

"I cannot tell you any more" replied Mr Hyde

His smaller one added "Then the payment and product would be imbalanced"

"The rest is up to you to find out" said the smallest Mr Hyde

"Thankyou" Jack passed Mr Hyde the book. The strange ghoul flicked through the book and tore out the chapters he needed. Jack couldn't say anything or object. He knew this ghoul had more power in Halloweentown than he could ever wish for.

"You may leave now, best of luck with finding your answers" said Mr Hyde as he passed the book back. Jack left the ghoul's home with his mind full of questions. The scary detail was, he knew Mr Hyde wasn't lying. As the town historian Mr Hyde knew and remembered everything about Halloweentown's past. Seeing as there were three of him, he always had an eye on everything.

* * *

Shock and Shadow waited at the bar for more orders. Their customers were satisfied as they dined in the restaurant area. The music was still blaring as people kept dancing. It was the only break the two girls could expect for now.

"You know, you oughta carry that machete around with you" said Shock

"What?" Shadow raised an eyebrow in confusion

"I'm just saying. It helps to be armed in this town. You never know what'll happen next"

"Maybe, I should use that machete. Came in handy on the floor"

"Yeah" Shock paused awkwardly as she saw a strange butterfly drift through the air. It looked like a purple flame as it floated. "What the? Shadow… are you seeing this? Shadow?" she paused as she noticed more flame butterflies soaring in the air. Shadow was leaning on the bar and resting her head in her hands. She was in a daydream. But the mark on her face and back of her hands were glowing softly.

In the background the mesmerising echo of guitars roared from the speakers as the drumming rhythm pounded frantically like lightning. The keyboards added an extra factor and almost calmed the song.

"_Everything's lost all is left astray only sorrow and sadness remains. Curtains have dropped on our fallen world and the forces of darkness shall rise! Why can't you see what has happened to thee? Can you not open your eyes? Everything's lost there is no retreat and the valleys echo with pain"  
_

Shock watched in amazement as all around her the words of the song were becoming reality. The darkened plains of twisted evil surged before her. The sights of crusading warriors clashing in the night.

"_No more hope as we raise our hands to the sky. No more dreams as the rivers run dry!"_

Everyone in the club noticed how the floor had liquefied into water. They still stood on it like solid land. The waters wavered around them like claws and swirled with dark colours. It was a twisted hallucination that felt almost real enough to touch. The waters were twisting into the vague silhouettes of spooky monsters.

"_On the endless sea of madness we sail forever more! And the endless tears of sadness towards the distant shores! When the flame has died forever we stand one and all! With the power of the almighty sword!"_

Shock noticed what had caused this strange change in scenery that had engulfed the club. She shook Shadow and said "Hey, wake up!"

"What? Did I fall asleep!?" she said as she wildly looked around. Her markings stopped glowing as the club returned to its normal setting.

"_We fight the battle on the fields tonight to save us from the master of all evil sign! And to the battle on forever standing strong! We feel the fire power of the night warriors!"_

"What just happened?" asked Shock sternly

Shadow looked around the hideout. Everyone was still dancing to the music. "What do you mean? Nothing happened"

"No, before there was all this freaky stuff happening and when you snapped back to reality it all went away!"

"Oh yeah… well I was just listening to the music. I really like this band. Even though it's only the second time I've heard one of their songs"

"What do you mean by just listening to the music!? Hallucinations like that take the utmost skill of a witch and you just do it in a daydream!"

"That's one of the easiest tricks in the book. You use music and certain frequencies to induce images into people's minds"

"Next time you do that, please don't include the minds of everyone here"

"Alright... so do you know what this band is?"

"Dragonforce… yeah, that's the name"

"Guess I'll have to ask Harlequin for their CDs once I've paid off Dr Finklestein"

* * *

_Lyrics from "The World" by Pennywise, "Sorry" by Butterfingers and "Black Winter Night" by Dragonforce (all appeared in that order)_


	12. A few weeks later

The fountain square was packed as all the ghouls and gasts of Halloweentown huddled in close. Puzzled, Shadow stood next to Hayley towards the back of the crowd. She pulled her harlequin coat around her in confusion as she leaned against a street wall. Her machete hung on her belt and leaned against her right thigh. The young jester didn't know what the hell was going on. Hayley stood next to her, a black and white scarf around her neck and her beloved lead pipe in hand.

"Hayley, what's going on?" blurted out Shadow "Don't we have to work tonight?"

Hayley smiled "Not tonight, it's Christmas eve"

"So what? Why are we all standing around dressed in winter clothing?"

"Shut up, it's starting"

Jack stood on the top step of Town Hall. He looked up to see Santa's sleigh fly overhead. Ever since the disaster of trying to take over Christmas, Santa always flew over Halloweentown to gift the town with snow. Jack held Sally close as he wrapped his arms around her. They both loved this time of year. After all, they finally admitted their feelings for one another on this night. Delicate snow flakes were already falling to the ground like a gentle rain. With his parents distracted, Jason disappeared from the top step. He had better things to do than stand around waiting for the snow.

"Merry Christmas" laughed Malice as she came up to Hayley and Shadow. Following her was Kamen, Ethan and Fang. All of them were dressed somehow in winter-ish clothing.

Shadow caught a snowflake on her hand "Is this some kind of illusion?"

"No this is the real deal" said Fang "They're not hallucinations"

"I still reckon I could replicate this effect"

"But it wouldn't be this real!"

"Will you two stop bickering?" grumbled Ethan. He sounded quite grumpy about the weather change.

Hayley cocked an eyebrow "What's with you?"

"I hate this time of the year"

"Only because the snow freezes the lakes over and you can't work" informed Kamen

Malice grinned "I'd love to have an excuse not to work. You're lucky Ethan"

"OW!" shouted Fang as he fell from the wall he was perched on. He face planted it to the ground. Before the others could retaliate they were bombarded by a barrage of snowballs.

Fang shouted "Charlies up in the trees!"

"What trees!?" snapped Malice as she dived for cover

"We're taking hits!" exclaimed Kamen as he dodged a few snowballs. He eventually got smashed in the head by one so hard it made his only eye fly out.

"Take cover!" ordered Hayley as she grabbed Shadow and dragged her behind a wall.

Kamen still scrambled around looking for his eye. He felt a hand drag him over. "Here you blind idiot" said Malice as she shoved his eyeball back in his socket.

"Um… thanks Malice" he replied nervously.

Shadow snarled to Hayley "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!?" this night was getting weirder and weirder for her.

"Well, this is what we call a snowball fight. Don't you get snow down south?"

"No, we don't even celebrate Christmas in Sleepy Hollow"

"Then you're in for a treat this year!"

Shadow quickly followed Hayley's lead and started making snowballs for their counter attack.

"Come out cowards and meet your maker!" taunted Lock

Shock cackled "Face us if you dare!"

"We cannot be beaten!" boasted Barrel. It was true though, they were the best at snowball fights.

Hayley took the lead as she received eye contact from her scattered friends. A few nods were exchanged as they readied themselves. "ATTACK!" commanded Hayley as she stood up. Her friends followed as they threw their snowballs at Lock, Shock and Barrel.

"Just look at them!" growled Scarlet as she watched the group of ghoulish youths fight "They're older than us and still play such childish games"

Jason pulled the vampire countess close "I know what you mean. They're so vulgar"

"A million points if you smash Jason in the eye with a snowball!" shouted Lock

"Oh… shit!"

Jason and Scarlet ran for their lives as the mob chased after them.

Emily sat up on a wall as she watched Jack and Sally head off towards Spiral Hill. She could see young lovers ice skating on a nearby frozen lake. The corpse woman felt heartbroken at the moment. The snow and eerie setting of Halloweentown kept reminding her of the Underworld and the incident with Victor. It seemed no matter how much time had passed, her heart still ached from such a memory. Her attention was diverted as she heard the frantic cries of Jason and Scarlet. The two upper crust teens of Halloweentown were sprinting from an ambush led by Lock.

"Just like every year… Lock always leads the attack on the Pumpkin Prince" she laughed. She could remember when Lock was just a child. He always attacked Jason on Christmas Eve. Over the years, the numbers of people to his cause had grown.

"AH!" screamed Jason as the snowball smacked into the side of his skull "That one had glass in it!" he fell to the ground from the impact of the throw.

"Nice shot Barrel!" called Lock's voice

Jason looked up and scrambled to his knees. Scarlet had already fled his side to escape the attack. He spitefully thought _'When I'm king, Lock and everyone else in his little gang are dead…'_

* * *

As everyone enjoyed the snow in Halloweentown, a select few were having a secret meeting. Deep beneath the cemetery, in one of the darkest and most secret caverns of the catacombs they sat around their table. Harlequin, Maul, Mr Hyde and Behemoth were in the chamber. The only furniture was a table and five chairs constructed from human bones. A few bottles of alcohol were open as the four clinked glasses.

"To Oogie's memory" said Harlequin

"Here, here!" cheered Mr Hyde

Since Oogie's demise, his fellow criminal lords met upon the anniversary of his death. It was a yearly meeting spent to remember their fifth ruler.

"Well, well, well, what have we here?" called a sexy voice

Maul said "I didn't know we had a stripped coming…"

"She's not a stripper you stupid dog" growled Behemoth

"I'm not a dog! I'm a werewolf!"

The owner of the voice came from a tall boogiewoman, she was probably taller than Jack. Her sack body was covered with stitches which gave her a narrow waist, massive bust and an inhuman hourglass figure. Two long tails curled from her head like the tails of a jester cap. She was Oogie's older sister.

Mr Hyde stood from his chair like a gentleman "Boogie, it's good to see you again"

"Likewise" smiled the boogiewoman as she sat down in the fifth chair. She said bluntly "I'm just dropping past to see if you've found a replacement for Oogie yet. It's been too long and the illegal gambling is getting a little out of control"

"We know it's been too long. But we haven't been able to find anyone suitable to replace him. They need to be… ruthless, cruel and cunning"

"And you morons haven't found anyone yet, because… come on boys help me finish the sentence"

"Why don't you just take Oogie's place?" suggested Behemoth

Boogie sighed "Because I'm the Mistress of Screams. I can't hold down two powerful positions, especially when they're in two different worlds"

Harlequin looked at his glass of liquor. Boogie was right, being a Mistress of Screams meant she had to scare all year long, just to remind humans there was still a fear in their souls of the unknown. She was constantly needed in the human world so it would be impossible for her to take the position.

"If you losers can't find someone then I'll scout around and suggest someone to you" said Boogie

Mr Hyde nodded "That sounds fair, yes, that will work"

"In fact, do any of you have heirs to your positions?"

Behemoth, Mr Hyde, Harlequin and Maul nervously stared at Boogie. They couldn't answer her question.

"Well… I got Hayley to replace me one day" said Harlequin "It's only a matter of time before I show her my work in the real world"

"But you three" Boogie pointed to the remaining three criminals "You got no one? You do realise this will only create problems once you're put away or murdered"

"Good point, I guess we all need to find suitable heirs" laughed Mr Hyde "We should find them before meeting up again next year"

The meeting quickly adjourned so they could return to the surface and mingle with others. They didn't want to give anyone the idea they were up to something.

As they walked Behemoth asked "Hey Harlequin, you ready to suggest my work to Shadow? I just lost another worker on the last run"

Harlequin wildly turned "Who?"

"The new kid, a zombie guy. The vampires obliterated him. Now he's too scared to leave his grave. I need another worker for the next run in a few days. New years eve is a major cash cow for me"

"Well… she has been here for a few weeks now… I can't make any promises but I'll run it past her"


	13. Moonshine Run

Shadow was jolted awake as Hayley started jumping on her bed. "Hayley! What's the big deal!?" she exclaimed as she fell out of bed. Usually the only way to escape Hayley's alarm/awakening tactics was to flee your bed. She looked at her clock "It's only five in the morning" Shadow wanted more sleep considering she went to bed at about four thirty. She had been too busy last night enjoying the snow ball fights.

Hayley continued jumping crazily upon Shadow's bed. Like an excited child she cheered "Well half an hour is enough sleep for you. Besides it's Christmas! That means MORE snowball fights and presents! Come on! We're all meeting up with the others to attack the vampire district!"

"Alright, alright!" called Shadow as she hastily followed the demonette from her room. She quickly adjusted her coat and hat. Her body was still not used to the aspect of snow as it shivered from the thought of going outside.

"Hayley! Shadow! Merry Christmas!" cheered Harlequin as the two girls went downstairs. He had a strange red and white hat on each of his tentacles and was dressed in a strange red jacket. He laughed heartily "Ho! Ho! Ho!"

"What's with the outfit?" asked Shadow

"Christmas spirit, you can dress up as Sandy Claws to give all the good little children presents" Harlequin passed Hayley and Shadow a gift wrapped box each "Merry Christmas girls!"

"Merry Christmas Dad" said Hayley as she gave her father a present as well. She quickly opened her box up to find a new Discman. "Thanks! I really needed one of these"

Shadow felt embarrassed "You didn't have to get me anything… I didn't even think to buy people gifts"

"It's your first Christmas, so how could you know? Besides you're saving your money" Harlequin smiled as he watched Shadow open her present. Within was another Discman, a few models older than Hayley's. But it also had all the albums of Dragonforce.

"How… how did you know what to get me!?" said Shadow as she stared at the albums in amazement. She couldn't recall ever asking Harlequin to get such a present for her.

The demon laughed "I have my sources. How are you going with your funds anyway?"

"I've saved around two thousand so far"

'_That's the amount I've paid her… she hasn't bought anything since arriving here'_ Harlequin then recalled Behemoth's proposal "Say, Shadow, would you like another job? It pays well. One of my friends needs some help with a midnight delivery business"

"But what about the club?" she replied

"It's alright, this job only comes around once every few months"

"Fair enough, I could use the money"

"Alright then"

"Well see you later for dinner Dad, we're going vampire hunting" laughed Hayley. The girls left their presents at home as they walked out the door.

* * *

It was a few days later. Shadow walked nervously through the Pumpkin Patch just outside of town. The ominous moon stared down at her like a demon's eye. The nightmarish surroundings of the wild swirled around her as she headed deeper into the area. The Joker gasped in fear as she saw the hulking silhouette stalk forward. She couldn't make out the towering figure but it looked like it had an axe in its head.

"Shadow Nightbane?" he asked in a calm, intelligent voice

She nervously replied "Y…yes… are you Behemoth?"

"Yeah, come right this way. Harlequin told me you were coming"

Shadow followed Behemoth to a dark opening in the earth. It was partly concealed so you could only find it if you knew where it was. They went into the underground path and ended up in a large cavern. It was filled with strange bubbling containers and large metallic vessels.

"A home distillery" commented Shadow as she smelt the fermenting organic matter in the air "I guess you need help delivering it"

"Yes I do, but you won't be alone" said Behemoth "And I'll pay you well, two thousand for tonight"

Shadow's eyes widened "What?"

"I ain't bluffing, this is a hard job so I pay well. Do you accept?"

"Yes"

"Alright, let's get you ready"

Lock casually glanced up to see Shadow walk into the loading bay. Already the hearse was packed with illegal home brewed liquor. They just needed to deliver it. The constant trio of the job was Lock, Fang and another boy, a thin scarecrow that worked with Behemoth.

"I know you're already acquainted with Lock and Fang" said Behemoth "Lock is the other deliverer, Fang is the look out and this guy here" he gestured to the scrappy scarecrow "Is Rusty, he can't talk which is a good thing. He's your driver. Now get going"

Shadow sat between Lock and Rusty in the front seats of the hearse. The scarecrow remained silent as he skilfully drove through the night. Fang sat on the roof calmly. The devil eyed the jester "So why you working here?"

"I need the money" she replied coldly "What do we do?"

"We gotta deliver this stuff to three drop off points. Every point is changed each delivery. Our job is to move these kegs and crates fast"

"Why do you seem so panicked?"

"Let's just say, vampires don't like Behemoth's little business. It's lucky you got your machete with you. Or else you'd be an easy target"

Shadow remained silent. A certain fear of the unknown began to surface in mind. Rusty began to slow down as they came to a dinghy alleyway in the slums of Halloweentown.

"Come on, we're at the first stop over" said Lock as he leapt out of the hearse.

So far, so good, they had made two drop offs at different points of the town. Mainly at areas that had restaurants and bars that weren't owned or run by vampires. Shadow's back felt stiff as she sat in the hearse again. Lifting so many crates and kegs within five minutes was hard work. She had no idea how Lock did this sort of work given his slender frame. The devil turned to Shadow "Alright last one, we gotta be really quick. Vampires usually catch on to us about now"

Fang kept a vigilant look out as Lock and Shadow loaded the bootleg liquor and moonshine into a bunker on the west side of town. Throughout the night Shadow had noticed each drop off was cloaked to some degree by an illusion. A poor quality illusion but it did the job of hiding the illegal surplus from sight.

"Guys! Vampires at twelve o'clock!" snapped Fang

Lock turned wildly swinging his arms and cracked a vampire in the jaw. The devil quickly leapt back into the hearse and dragged out two more crates _'Shit! We still got a few left'_.

Shadow armed her machete as she sliced at another vampire. Their assailants were dressed in tight black garbs like ninjas so you couldn't identify them (but you could tell they were vampires by the fangs and creepily slim bodies). Noticing the vampires swarming she stopped delivery and just kept attacking the vampires. She couldn't help but grin as the blade hacked through the vampire flesh sending a spray of blood into the air. Shadow couldn't help it… cutting up dead things made her smile.

Lock quickly leapt into the back of the hearse and shouted "Come on! Come on! Come on!"

Shadow jumped into the back and slammed the boot door shut as Rusty began to drive off. Lock and Shadow kept breathing rapidly as they tried to calm their heartbeats. Vampires weren't necessarily strong or great fighters, they were just really creepy to fight.

"Nice work with the machete" panted Lock "You sure you're not a serial killer?"

"No, I'm a mad scientist in training"

"Close enough"

"Not really"

Fang yelled out on the roof "We got vampires descending on us and blockages forming!"

Rusty swerved the hearse crazily down the Halloweentown streets. He was driving like a madman sending Shadow and Lock wildly flailing in the back from his swift movements.

"Enough of this!" growled Shadow as she placed a hand on the hearse boot floor _'I don't want to die!'_ Her violet markings began to shimmer as she focused her powers. Rusty felt the surge of unknown magic pulse through the automobile _'I know this… that means I can do this!'_ he grinned sadistically as he swerved wildly to the side.

Fang screeched as the hearse moved towards a wall "Are you crazy!? That's a damn wall!"

But to the bat boy's amazement, the hearse passed through the buildings like a ghost. It was pretty surreal to just drive through buildings without causing mass destruction.

* * *

Behemoth grinned as the hearse made it back to the cavern. There didn't appear to be a scratch on it. He quickly readied the satchels of souls to pay his workers. Rusty's stitched up mouth was twisted into a grin as he got out of the hearse. Fang dizzily floated from the roof only to face plant it to the ground. He was really disorientated from Rusty's driving. Lock immediately smashed the boot open as he ran out covering his mouth. Finding the closest bucket he threw up. Shadow emerged shaking her head. She was a little woozy as well.

"What happened? You haven't drunk any of it have you?" asked Behemoth

Lock growled "No, Rusty was driving like a psycho!" before spewing again

"Yeah, but something freaky happened! When the vampires attacked we just vanished like we were ghosts!" declared Fang as he jumped up "It was really freaky!"

"Sorry guys, that was my bad" admitted Shadow "I thought maybe if I cloaked the hearse in the night's darkness we'd be able to escape better"

"So that was all your doing?"

"Yeah, sorry, I should've warned you but I panicked"

"Well, what's done is done. Here's your pay!" smiled Behemoth as he handed the sum of two thousand souls to each member of the crew. Rusty quickly waved his hands in various gestures _'It's been too long since I last saw a Joker. Keep her around because her illusions will always come in handy'_ the scarecrow didn't look it, but he was actually centuries old.

Behemoth nodded and said "Shadow, how bout coming back in a few months to help us out again?"


	14. Dreams Crushed

The sack of souls was spread out across her bed. Shadow quickly counted through her savings. She had worked night and day for the past few months. It was now mid July. Shadow grinned happily as she finished counting her money. "I've done it! I have ten thousands souls! I can pay the insurance!"

"What's going on!?" Hayley was amazed. Shadow was never up this early in the morning. The demonette already had a pan and lead pipe ready for the awakening.

"I can become an apprentice now!" grinned Shadow. She couldn't contain her excitement.

"That's awesome! Congratulations!" Hayley shouted as she tackled Shadow down in a hug "Oh wait! You gotta get to Dr Finklestein! Get going! Right now! GO! GO! GO! MOVE! MOVE! MOVE!"

Shadow quickly gathered her hat, machete and satchel of souls. She ran out of Harlequin's house and into the streets.

* * *

Jewel's mind was snapped back to reality as she heard a knock at the door. She turned back to her stove, ready to dim the heat as the snake omelettes kept cooking.

"Don't worry Jewel. Igor go get door" said the demented hunchback

Jewel gently smiled "Oh, thankyou Igor"

Igor curled his demented lips into a dazed grin as he walked over to the door. Jewel definitely got the humane side of Dr Finklestein's brain. He liked that gentle nature in her. He opened the door to see a young jester girl holding a sack of money.

"Morning, is Dr Finklestein here? I'd like to talk to him please" she smiled with ecstatic happiness

"Alright, come this way" Igor shuffled through the tower and led her upstairs.

"Don't think I've met you before. What's your name?"

"Me? Me Igor"

"Nice to meet ya, I'm Shadow"

Igor was surprised by this girl. She actually acknowledged him as a person. He led her to the elevator leading up to the doctor's laboratory. He said "Master is up there"

"Thanks Igor" she said as she stepped into the elevator. Shadow kept tapping her feet. _'I'm so close!'_

* * *

Hayley ran through the streets. She had to find her fellow comrades. It was too late to find Ethan, he was probably still fishing in the early hour of the morning. It was too early for Fang, Kamen, Lock and Barrel, they were most likely still asleep from spending all night out. But Shock and Malice were still around somewhere in town.

"SHOCK!" called Hayley as she saw the slender witch sitting by the fountain. She didn't hear her friend though, she was busy listening to her Discman (the one she shared between Lock and Barrel so it was scratched up badly). So being Hayley, the demonette pulled a headphone away and yelled "SHOCK!"

"HOLY CRAP!" shrieked Shock as she jumped "Oh Hayley, what's going on?"

"Today is the day Shadow becomes the apprentice to Dr Finklestein!"

"Really?"

"Yeah, we gotta throw a party to celebrate. Nothing major but just something small"

"Alright then… why are you telling me?"

"Because no one else is up or around!"

Malice came out from Town Hall having heard Hayley and Shock shouting in the early morning. She raised an eyebrow "What are you yelling about?"

"Shadow's gonna become Dr Finklestein's apprentice today!" cheered Hayley

"That's funny, I was looking over the records and it turns out its Shadow's birthday today as well"

"Nice! We can have a single party to celebrate both events!"

"You just want an excuse to throw a party"

"Well yeah, I like throwing parties"

* * *

Instantly she was taken to Dr Finklestein's laboratory. The withered old man was hunched over his work desk toying with a dissection.

"Um… excuse me? Dr Finklestein?" said Shadow

He stopped what he was doing abruptly, almost like he never expected her to come back. Dr Finklestein turned and wheeled over to her "Shadow… what are you doing here?"

She announced "I came to become your apprentice. I have ten thousand souls and everything"

"You probably didn't acquire it legally"

"But I worked solid since I first met you. I even counted it twice. These are all my savings" she handed the satchel of souls to him.

He quickly gazed at the money. It wasn't counterfeit. He said "But you're still a teenager… too young"

"Actually I'm twenty now. Today is my birthday"

"I… uh…"

"You said if I could cover the insurance I could become your apprentice"

"Well… time I let you in on a little secret. Mad Scientists are NEVER female"

Shadow's smile vanished. She said in a panicked tone "So you're holding this against me because I have a vagina?"

"Even if you were male. I still wouldn't hire you. Biology is a dead field. It's all about robots these days"

"You knew this all along… you never wanted me as an apprentice. Yet you played along with me"

"Sorry, that's just the way life is. Now then, get out"

"Can I have my money back!?" screeched Shadow as the floor fell away under her feet. She tumbled down the darkness through a trap door.

Dr Finklestein gloated happily "At least now I have some more money"

Shadow crashed hard at the bottom of the tunnel. She smacked her head against cobbled stone. Sitting up she quickly snapped her neck in place with a gut retching crack. A half-life could do such actions because they technically weren't alive or dead. The sickening stench of the sewer hung in air as her eyes adjusted to the dark tunnels, the putrid waters flowing nearby. The Joker hugged her knees tightly as she remained silent. Her dreams had just been shattered in one conversation. But she couldn't cry or scream… she just remained silent as she sat there in the darkness. She didn't want to return to the surface just yet.


	15. Stupid Girl

"So… why do you want me to bake a cake?" asked Emily. She was confused as she prepared herself for the shift. Hayley had suddenly burst in only moments before requesting that the corpse woman should make a cake.

Hayley smiled "Because it's Shadow's birthday and we got to celebrate. She's gonna become a mad scientist in training today as well"

"Can you make it chocolate? I like chocolate" cheered Barrel as he mopped the kitchen floor.

"I think I can work out something to be ready by closing time" winked Emily

Hayley tackled Emily in a crushing bear hug "THANKYOU!"

"Stop it! You're gonna snap my ribs"

"What's all this about?" queried Harlequin as he poked his head into the kitchen "What's this about a cake?"

"Just organising a small get together" smiled Hayley

"Am I invited? I like cake…"

They turned their heads as they heard the door open. Shadow stood at the kitchen doorway. Her head hung low and her clothes were all ruffled and scuffed up.

"Shadow? How did it go?" asked Hayley with a grin on her face. The others could pick up that the deal didn't go very well.

"I didn't get it" Shadow laughed hopelessly at herself "He was playing a game with me from the start… he never wanted me as an apprentice"

"What?"

Harlequin intervened "Shadow, maybe you should take the night off. I think it would be better that way"

Shadow nodded solemnly as she left the kitchen and headed upstairs. Emily, Barrel and Hayley remained silent. What were you meant to say to someone who had their dreams shattered in one day? Harlequin turned and said "Well come on, get back to work"

* * *

Shadow lied on her bed and stared up at the ceiling. She could hear the muffled strains of music from bellow Harlequin's house. It was funny that even if your life had reached an all time low, life just kept going on without you. Despite the sorrow in her soul, Shadow still couldn't cry. Instead her face remained emotionless as her mind kept swirling with thoughts.

She was drowning in her own conscience. _'I gave up so much of my life to come here… he just throws me out like I'm nothing… Now I'm back at the beginning, I haven't improved at all'_

Her mind was disrupted as the dramatic chorus of an orchestra combined with a hip hop beat echoed in the house.

"_The sky's not falling it's just angels committing suicide, cos they're so saddened by humans using genocide. As a political tool, considering all you humans have the way you act belittles you all. Now hell is so full that we started expanding. Damnation is a business and the markets demanding."_

"Damn it! Who the hell makes an alarm that's hooked up to a CD player!?" growled a familiar voice. It was followed by steps that echoed in the hallway.

"_I asked him if the city streets buckled and cracked and hell rose to earth then would heaven collapse? He smiled; I knew that smile was his response, I thought to myself, he's almost got what he wants"  
_

Shadow didn't even blink as the door opened. Shock walked in and folded her arms at her jester friend "Why have you gone all Emo?"

"I'm not Emo, I'm not trying kill myself" she replied coldly

"Well, what happened?"

"Dr Finklestein didn't accept me as an apprentice"

"So what? I've seen you dissect stuff in your spare time. I've seen you draw out blueprints for monsters. You've got a real talent for it. Can't you just start up your own lab?"

"It takes at least nine thousand souls to do that" informed Shadow. She had calculated such a plan in case this happened.

"So? You got the money"

"No I don't… Dr Finklestein took all my money"

"WHAT!?" Shock stopped herself from lashing out. She then turned around and left Shadow's room. The last thing the jester could hear from the witch was "I'll show that bastard"

"_Sitting with the devil, this is what I learned. Apart from the ways a human soul can be burned. It's that though we learn from our mistakes we're condemned. To make those same mistakes again and again"_

* * *

In the darkness of night a single figure stalked through the Acid Works. All her movements were nimble and agile, the talents of a professional thief. She skilfully manoeuvred past the countless traps and alarms that Dr Finklestein had put in place. Not that it did him any good now. Without a sound Shock made it to the door. She quickly picked the lock and let herself in. No matter how old she was, she always found the doctor's tower was the easiest place to break into.

Shock walked silently through the tower to not disturb anyone. The darkness as her ally, she moved swiftly and out of sight (unless you wore night vision goggles). She headed to the doctor's lab taking notice of the safe and heavy bookshelves in the corner. Wasting no time she went to work on the safe and cracked it within seconds. _'Let's see… birthday, number of failed experiments, number of gay relations'_ she thought as she cracked the code. Her gloved hands concealed any fingerprints that would lag behind.

She reached in and grabbed the satchel of souls within. She also noticed a few notebooks as well. _'No one would lock up books like this unless they were important… better take em just in case I need blackmail material'_ As quickly as she had come, Shock had escaped the Acid Works without anyone noticing.

* * *

Lock felt distressed as Hayley and Malice kicked him and the rest of the boys out of the hideout. He was under the impression that after closing time, they were going to celebrate.

"What's going on? I heard about a party!" said Fang

Hayley snapped "Sorry guys, change of plan. Now it's a girl's night!"

"Why? I like chocolate cake" whined Barrel

"We can dress up as ladies" offered Kamen

Lock taunted "You already look like a lady, Kamen"

"Sorry guys, get lost!" said Malice as she slammed the door shut. Lock, Barrel, Ethan, Fang and Kamen felt shafted. It was like they were kids again.

"What happens at a girl's night anyway?" asked Ethan

Barrel scratched his head "You know… I don't actually know"

"I think they use it to talk about guys" pouted Kamen

Lock nodded "And girl stuff like…" he trembled as he said the next word "Menstruation"

"EWW!" shouted the other boys in horror as they thought of it. Regardless of age, any mention of a woman's 'time of the month' and they would immediately freak out.

Malice cocked an eyebrow in disbelief "What idiots" she and Hayley had been eavesdropping on the conversation from the other side of the door.

Hayley shrugged "Oh well, let's go get Shadow"

The door of the room burst open. Before Shadow could actually think about what was happening, she was whisked away by Malice and Hayley. She was being dragged along by a split face girl and a demonette. Harlequin didn't seem to notice. He was too busy listening to his Hilltop Hood CD, the very CD he had left in the player that was strangely playing when he came back up.

"What's going on?" asked Shadow

Malice said "Well, we reckon you need help"

"So that's why we're here" cheered Hayley

* * *

The trio entered the hideout to see Emily and Shock talking at a table. The liquor was plentiful as was the cake and food. Already a tune was playing in the background. As the violin and guitars played a melody, a woman's voice strongly sang _"Stumbling along. Looking at nothing cos your eyes always on your feet. If you ever looked up. You'd see the sun. In the morning Wonder why things are so bleak?"_

"I didn't know you were here Shock" said Hayley

The witch replied "Sorry, I had to find a present for Shadow" she handed the jester a messily wrapped up gift "Happy Birthday from all of us"

Shadow took the gift. Her face still devoid of emotion "It's not really that necessary"

"Of course it is, it's your birthday" reminded Shock

Hayley whispered "I don't remember buying anything…"

"Just run with it" replied Malice

"_Boring and old are the things you're told about the outside world. Just wearing black won't take care of that! Don't be stupid girl!"_

Shadow timidly opened the present. Her eyes widened as she saw the contents. It was her satchel of savings along with a few documents.

"Books?" said Hayley "What kind of books are those?"

"THANKYOU SHOCK!" cried Shadow as she hugged the witch

The witch winked wickedly "Don't mention it"

"I can't believe it!"

"Believe what?" asked Emily

"These books are all notes by Dr Finklestein. It's got everything in here, all his tricks and tools. I can set up my own lab with all this!"

"So you didn't need him in the first place?"

"Let's just say I had organised a back up plan. It just wouldn't be possible unless I had my money back"

"Wait a minute!" snapped Malice "He took your money!?"

"Yeah, but now everything's alright"

Malice nodded to herself _'I better look into Dr Finklestein's file a bit… something's not right'_

"_Walking. Always talking. Never listening. You just kick back. How do you handle all the bullshit that gets thrown your way?"_

Hayley asked "What music is this anyway?" she couldn't recognise the song.

"It's Killing Heidi" pouted Emily "And I like them!"

"Don't get all whiney on me! I was just asking"

"Well then, let's have a drink"

"_Boring and old are the things you're told about the outside world. Just wearing black won't take care of that! Don't be stupid girl! Oh! Down on your knees trying to appease somebody's mixed up statement! Coz in not much time your beliefs that are lies will be left by the pavement"_

* * *

That night Jack was looking through some old files from the archives. By accident he came across Dr Finklestein's file. Leaning back in his favourite chair of the study, the mystery of the Jokers continued to elude him. He paused awkwardly as he read the contract the doctor had signed the day he outranked his master. Wasting no time he left Skellington Manor and headed to the Acid Works.

Still half asleep, Jewel went to the door. Someone was banging furiously on it in the late hour of the night. She opened it up to find the Pumpkin King at her home.

"Jack, how can I help you?" she asked timidly

He replied sternly "I need to speak to Dr Finklestein immediately"

Within seconds Dr Finklestein and Jack were seated across from each other in the kitchen. Jewel and Igor had left them alone to talk.

"What is it Jack?" said the doctor. He was completely oblivious he had been robbed earlier that night.

"I came over a contract in your file. Apparently you had to have taken on an apprentice by the time the next Pumpkin King"

Dr Finklestein's statue shrank. He timidly responded "Oh… well, I've been doing a good job… haven't I?"

"Sorry, but a contract is a contract. If you have no apprentice by the end of the month then you'll be suspended"

"Do you know how hard it is to find an apprentice these days?"

Jack raised an eyebrow "What about Shadow? That jester girl"

"Oh her… well, she's not very credible. Magical beings never have a place with science. Besides I already have an apprentice. He'll be arriving at the end of the month"

"Alright then" the Pumpkin King nodded. Dr Finklestein had fooled Jack into believing his lies. The old doctor thought _'Now I need to find an apprentice. I get sent letters all the time from up and coming scientists out of town'_

* * *

_Lyrics from "An Audience with the Devil" by Hilltop Hoods (the restrung version) and "Mascara" by Killing Heidi_


	16. A month or so later

Gil looked up as another had wandered into his shop. He was the husband of the Undersea Gal and a mer-person like her, more fish than human though. His whole body was green and looked slimy with many gill slits opened up along his ribs. His face resembled a goldfish and he had luminous yellow eyes. All around his head were fins, tattered and torn to the point where some were just long strands of scales.

"Good afternoon Shadow" he smiled as he recognised one of his best customers.

The young jester tipped her hat to him "Afternoon Gil" she went over to the counter and pulled out a scrap of paper "I have to place an order with you"

"I see…" he nodded solemnly.

Gil wasn't an ordinary merchant. He sold and traded with the dead flesh of all creatures. Shopping for a new heart or maybe a leg or two? Gil was the one to go to. It was beyond anyone's knowledge why anyone would want to take up this job. But rumour had it that Gil worked closely with Maul, so he was never in short supply of bodies that need to 'disappear'.

"Very precise with your order this time… it'll take a few weeks" said Gil as he gazed at the paper, it was a recipe for creating a monster. "But never worry yourself, I can get it for ya"

"How much?"

"I'll give you a price once I've calculated a fair deal. But keep in mind, in order to find flesh of this quality it will cost a pretty penny"

"That's fine" Shadow passed him a small purse "A deposit of one hundred souls"

"Pleasure doing business" grinned Gil

Shadow walked past and left the shop. Boogie looked up and noticed the deal going on at the back of the area. She was just shopping for some meat for dinner but instead caught sight of a rather shonky deal going on. Next to the boogiewoman stood a slender silhouette, her body wrapped in a tight black dress that trailed upon the ground. Her arms wrapped in gloves. A grey mask swirled around her eyes and trailed a tattered rainbow veil around her head. However, this woman was invisible. She was a poltergeist, a type of ghost that is only meant to be heard and feared but never seen.

"What's her story? The jester girl" sneered Boogie as she turned to her invisible companion

"That is Shadow, she's a mad scientist in training but not under Dr Finklestein. She runs her own lab hidden somewhere in town, performs autopsies for people to make extra cash. I heard Dr Finklestein is searching for her lab so he can shut her down. He holds a vendetta against her"

"I see… heard it from Mr Hyde?"

"Hardly, you'd be amazed at what you can find out when you're invisible"

"Honestly Lady, I've no idea why you bother with clothes"

"I might be invisible Boogie, but even I like to look good"

* * *

The streets around Gil's shop were bustling with people. If you want to keep your business hidden and secretive you keep it in the light. People never notice what's right under their noses. Shadow walked casually through the afternoon light. Her shift at the hideout was soon to begin and she had to get there on time. Ever since she started up her own lab she had been able to take up fewer shifts at the club.

Shadow nervously adjusted her pack as she noticed it. A ghostly silhouette looming in the distance, but it wasn't a normal ghoul… she could see it was a monster created by Dr Finklestein. Its face was a fanged Jack-o-Lantern. Its body was nothing more than a swirling mass of tattered fabrics. Its arms, there were at least nine of them, each mutated with razor sharp claws. Shadow panicked as she sharply turned a corner. _'Oh no, that's the third time this week he's sent something out for me… he wants me to lead him to my lab'_

"Excuse me?" said a voice

Shadow leapt back as she screamed.

"Oh… sorry, I didn't mean to scare you"

"What?" she turned to face the one who had shocked her.

It was a tall corpse boy, his eyes were framed by dark shadows and his skin was pale and chalky. The skin around his left eye had completely torn away up to the eyebrow. Having no eye lid had lead his left eye to take a blood red colour. His brown hair was frayed and tied into a stumpy brush of a ponytail, the tips of his hair were charred black like he had been struck by lightning. He wore a grey shirt and black trousers. Strangely both his arms were covered by gloves and kept hidden by layers of fabric. His boots were made of steel and looked heavy.

"Sorry" he said "I just wanted to ask for some directions"

"I can't really stop right now"

He took Shadow's hand "Wait, what's wrong?"

"Let's just say I'm being followed"

"Well, maybe you'd be better with an escort. Where you heading?"

"Just a few blocks from here. Look I don't need your help"

"Safety in numbers. If you're being stalked then it'd be safer" he noticed the machete at her side "But maybe you're used to this sorta thing"

Shadow looked over her shoulder and saw the creature looming closer at a steady pace "Yeah well, thankyou for caring but I gotta run"

He glanced over his shoulder and noticed the monster creeping forward. Wide eyed he said "What the hell is that!?"

"Come on! It's gonna kill us!" snapped Shadow as she grabbed his hand and started dragging him with her. Suddenly she found his arm wrapped around her waist. "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!?" she said as she punched him in the head.

He still kept a hold of her as he said "Relax, I can know how we can loose him!"

Before Shadow could protest she suddenly found herself soaring above the rooftops. "What the fu-"

"Watch your tongue. It's simple, there's compacted air in my shoes. Allows me to jump up like this" grinned the corpse boy "Now then just stretch your legs and relax as we go in for a landing"

A few streets over the two youths crashed down into a few sacks of strange powder. It was Halloweentown, no one really cared if people fell out of the sky. Also seeing as most of the people living here were undead, falls didn't really worry them.

"Ow, now that was a little crazy" growled Shadow as she got to her feet

"Sorry, but I thought that was the best way to escape"

"Just who the hell are you!?"

"Sorry, I'm Spectre, Ethan's cousin"

Shadow stormed off "Thanks for helping me out… I think. See ya"

"Wait, you didn't tell me your name!"

Shadow ran off, now she was actually late for work _'What a weirdo!'_

* * *

She tripped over as she crashed into someone. Shadow fell down on top of a random person as a result of catching the tip of her curled shoe on a crooked cobble.

"Watch where you're going!" snapped Barrel as he shoved her off

She laughed "Lucky you were there, you softened my fall"

"Yeah, come on let's get to work. What's your reason for being late?"

"Had to organise something with Gil and I ran into a little trouble. How bout you?" Shadow hadn't mentioned any of the instances when Dr Finklestein had attacked her. If it was brought to light the situation would only worsen.

"Shock was annoyed at Lock and I, she turned us into toads wouldn't turn us back"

"How did you escape?"

"Shock got bored, simple. I know it sounds weird, but I'm actually scared of her. She's so skilled at magic, probably better than the elder witches"

"Then why is she a thief?"

"No idea, probably because we grew up under Oogie Boogie. Oh crap! I'm not meant to mention that name!" Barrel quickly covered his mouth as they kept walking.

"Who? Is that some sort of mucous?"

"Forget it! We're here now! We're a work!" exclaimed Barrel as he quickly ran into the side alley door.

'_Oogie Boogie? What a weird name. Maybe I'll get an answer out of Shock or Lock'_ Shadow followed Barrel as they went down the spiralling stairwell. She had now been living in Halloweentown for a few months. She knew a lot of people, but she had never encountered or even heard of the name Oogie Boogie.

Emily turned to the door as she heard it creak open. Barrel and Shadow walked in and both immediately chimed "Sorry we're late"

"Get your aprons on and get to work" replied Emily. Strangely her command didn't seem as snappy as usual. The tone of her voice suggested a certain daze to it. Barrel didn't notice because, boys rarely noticed these sorts of things. He just went to work without a question.

"What's wrong Emily? You seem a little scatterbrained" replied Shadow as she readied the meat cleaver and started cutting.

"I just got a letter from an old friend of mine. He's coming to visit from the Underworld"

"He? You got a boyfriend or something?"

"Well, he's always been a good friend to me, a real sweetie too" Emily narrowed her eyes at Shadow "Besides you look like you've encountered someone interesting today as well"

"As if" growled Shadow "I got better things to do than concern myself with romance"


	17. Mr Roboto

Spectre was amazed as he stepped into the laboratory. It towered around him displaying various tools for creating monsters and terrors of the night. Most of the technology was beyond him though, he couldn't even recognise some of the tools.

"Ah, you must be the apprentice I sent for" rasped Dr Finklestein as he was wheeled forward. Igor grunted as he pushed his master.

He shuffled his feet with a hint of uncertainty "Yes sir, Spectre Cadaver"

"Cadaver? You wouldn't happen to be related to young Ethan would you?"

"Yes, he's my cousin"

"Well, I'd like to congratulate you. You're about to begin a new life where anything is possible…"

Igor madly shuffled about the lab as Dr Finklestein gave his little speech. The hunchback struggled to collect all the materials and tools the new apprentice had to keep.

* * *

The door of the small home creaked open loudly. Ethan walked into the main room to see his cousin enter. The tall corpse was now wearing a tattered white lab coat and had a heavy black bag slung over his shoulder.

"What's all this?" asked Ethan

Spectre dropped the bag to the ground with a heavy thud "Tools, clothes, Dr Finklestein got me kitted out today"

Ethan gestured to his cousin's arm "You do realise you can't keep that covered up all your life"

"Well… I don't like showing it off"

"Either way, come on! We're going!"

"What? Where?" it was only then Spectre realised Ethan was wearing clean clothes that didn't smell of fish. It was already late in the night. "I haven't even had dinner yet!"

"Relax we'll eat at the hideout"

"Wait a minute, what's the hideout?"

The door kicked open as Fang, Shock and Malice waltzed right in like they owned the place. Malice wasn't wearing her usual stern dress suit. She appeared more effeminate now in her purple singlet and red skirt. Shock and Fang however didn't really look any different. The bat boy growled "What's taking you two so long?"

Ethan sighed with annoyance "Why are you two here? I said we were gonna meet at the fountain"

"Yeah well, we got sick of waiting" informed Shock arrogantly "Two hours late is when you start barging into their house demanding answers"

"Who are those two?" muttered Spectre as he wildly glanced around the room. He was quite confused by the situation.

Malice took control as she explained "We're some of Ethan's friends. I'm Malice, the witch is Shock and the bat idiot is Fang. There are others but they're at the hideout already. You must be Spectre"

"Yeah, I am"

"Well, get your lab coat off. We're all going out tonight"

"Uh… yeah" Spectre nervously removed his lab coat. He double checked to make sure his layers of clothes covered his arms and hands. He felt someone grab his ponytail.

Shock cheered as she dragged Spectre along with her "Onwards to the hideout!"

"Let go of my hair you crazy witch!"

"I'll warn you now Spectre, never call me something like that. Or else I'll use my magic to turn you inside out!"

* * *

Kamen overlooked the club and relaxed his mind. It was difficult at times at the hideout. As the DJ, the mummy had a vital lookout across the dance floor. It was his job not only to play music but to also keep an eye out for any fights breaking out.

"_Been so many words so much to say. Words are not enough to keep the guns at bay. Some live in fear some do not, some gamble everything on who gets the final shot"_

Although, most of the time it was hard to spot a fight as the music blared and the guitars and drums roared. It was hard to tell in Halloweentown if people were actually hurting each other, mainly because they didn't seem to respond to pain or excessive violence. Regardless over the years Kamen had learned how to tell the difference.

"_Oh don't talk to me of love it's obvious it's not enough! Annihilation! Kill them all! Capitulation watch the mighty fall! The road to glory is lined in red and though the reason now is gone! The battle rages on!"_

Hayley saw Shadow walk back towards the bar. Emily slid out another dish for a customer through the hole. As the Joker took up the plate Hayley grinned "Nothing like a little Deep Purple to get you mind clear"

Shadow looked around "Deep purple? I don't see any random colours… are you high?"

"No Shadow, that's the name of the band that sings this song"

"Humans come up with some really weird names for their bands"

"I know what you mean" laughed Hayley as she turned to a ghoul at the bar.

Shadow manoeuvred through the club swiftly and delivered the dish to its expected table. She paused in confusion as she saw that one of the people sitting at the table was invisible. The strange lady appeared to be wearing clothes and drinking her cocktail, but it was eerie watching the bright violet liquid slide down her throat.

"Did you order the snake kebabs?" inquired Shadow

"Yeah I did" answered the woman sitting across from the invisible lady. She was a burlap sack creature with hollow eyes. "Thankyou very much child, may I also ask something of you?"

"Yeah, did you want a refill or something on the cocktails?"

"You're a mad scientist, aren't you?"

"Not quite"

"I have something to show you. Seeing as you specialise in biology this should be easy"

"Why not take your problem to Dr Finklestein?"

"Let's just say, I'm not in his good books"

"Alright then… but we do this my way. Meet me at the fountain tomorrow at noon" said Shadow before walking off to take more orders out.

Lady leaned over to Boogie "Are you sure about this?"

"Trust me" nodded the boogiewoman "I know she can do it"

"You planned this all along! You sabotaged my cooking so we'd come here tonight!"

"Look, I got a plan to bring Finky down once and for all. That old bastard is gonna pay for what he's done to my family name"

"Personally I thought you'd be after Jack… oh wait, I guess not. After all you two were teenage sweethearts"

Boogie laughed wickedly as she childishly taunted "Shut up Lady"

"I don't blame you, he's one hot skeleton. Too bad he's taken"

"By a very lucky and beautiful woman indeed" Boogie winked to her poltergeist friend "But at least I left him with a fetish for stitches"

* * *

The hideout sprawled out in the cavern, the scariest night club in all of holiday worlds. Spectre was bewildered as he saw all the monsters dancing to the rhythmic punk music. He felt so out of place in a club like this.

Malice jumped up and down excitedly as she gazed towards Kamen "He's playing my favourite band! We have to go dance!"

Kamen winked at her. He knew she loved listening to the music of Dead Kennedys.

"_So you been to school for a year or two and you think you've seen it all. In daddy's car thinking you'll go far, back east your type don't crawl! Play ethnicky jazz to parade your snazz on your five grand stereo. Braggin' that you know how the niggers feel cold and the slums got so much soul"_

Ethan and Malice led Spectre down to the dance floor. Fang was already hanging on the ceiling of the catacombs chatting up the female bat ladies. Shock appeared to have vanished in the crowds. The music was happy, almost uplifting. It was something anyone could dance to, which was probably why they had dragged him down here in first place.

"_It's time to taste what you most fear. Right Guard will not help you here. Brace yourself, my dear! It's a holiday in Cambodia! It's a tough kid, but it's life! It's a holiday in Cambodia! Don't forget to pack a wife!"_

The blared in his ears, Spectre couldn't really tell what was going on. It was the first time he had ever heard music from the human world. To his surprise, it didn't sound as bad as he imagined it. He saw Malice wave to the DJ, a pimped up mummy who casually waved back to her. Ethan was already jumping around with other zombies and corpses.

"_You're a star-belly sneech you suck like a leech! You want everyone to act like you! Kiss ass while you bitch so you can get rich. But your boss gets richer off you! Well you'll work harder with a gun in your back for a bowl of rice a day!_ _Slave for soldiers 'till you starve then your head is skewered on a stake!"_

Lock froze with a panic stricken face. He should've known better to go out with a werewolf girl, even if she was irresistibly hot and didn't care if Lock's previous dates had smacked him the face during their outing. Werewolves were very protective of their kin, especially the brothers of their female siblings. He tentatively moved away from his date as her brother came storming forward. It wasn't a full moon, but that didn't mean you'd avoid their claws and fangs.

"Hey buddy" said the devil in a panicked tone

The wolf man growled "What's going on you horny devil!? What the hell do you think you're doing with my sister?"

"We were just dancing, that's all"

"No dude, I am not letting my little sister become another one night stand for you! You're lucky the rest of the litter ain't here"

Lock let out a sigh of relief. That was a positive point, werewolves were usually born as litters of at least four kids. Still he didn't want to get bitten. Lock knew he couldn't keep up with the rapid body hair growth if his body became infected. He kept edging back but the werewolf was getting annoyed by Lock's cowardice.

"Barrel and Shock ain't here to save ya" growled the wolf. He knew what Lock's game was. Any sign of trouble and he'd being in his two friends. Knowing Lock was cornered, he stretched his mouth wide and lunged forward to bite.

"_Now you can go where the people are one. Now you can go and get things done! What you need, my son… Is a holiday in Cambodia! Where people dress in black. A holiday in Cambodia! Where you'll kiss your ass or crack!"_

Feeling now teeth tearing through his flesh Lock opened his eyes. Spectre stood between the werewolf and the devil. The werewolf's mouth clamped tightly around the corpse boy's left forearm. The wolf man quickly whimpered as he vanished back into the dancing crowd.

"What did you do?" said Lock "Do you realise that you're gonna become a werewolf!?"

Spectre shook his head "I don't think so"

"We need to get your arm looked at! Werewolf bites are no jokes!"

"Trust me, it's not a big deal"

"No you idiot!" Lock grabbed Spectre's arm and paused "What the…" the devil couldn't feel flesh beneath Spectre's sleeves and glove. It felt strong and cold like metal. "Wait a minute" Lock shoved the sleeve up to confirm his suspicions. Spectre's left arm was made of metal. "What is that?"

"My robotic limb alright" growled Spectre as he rolled his sleeve back down over his mechanical component "My old arm kept falling off so I built a new one"

"… are you a robot?"

"NO"

"Whatever you say Mr Roboto"

Spectre raised an eyebrow at Lock. He was a very strange devil to him.

"_And it's a holiday in Cambodia! Where you'll do what you're told! A holiday in Cambodia! Where the slum's got so much soul!"_

* * *

_Lyrics from "The Battle Rages On" by Deep Purple and "Holiday in Cambodia" by Dead Kennedys_


	18. Curiosity

Emily heard the door of the kitchen slam open. Lock immediately sprinted in and grabbed Barrel from his duties at the sink. The devil blurted out in a giddy panic "Come on! You gotta see this! It is so freaking awesome!"

"Let me go!" exclaimed Barrel. He was in shock, Lock wasn't normally able to drag his heavy body along with him. But when the devil was in a whirlwind of hyperactivity, Lock was capable of anything.

"LOOK AT THIS!" Lock shoved his friend towards a nearby table. Ethan, Shock and Spectre were already sitting there dining on Emily's cooking.

Barrel stood up and looked at the table of customers "What?"

"Show him Spectre! Show him!"

"What am I? A freak show to you?" growled the corpse boy

"He can't show us anything until Hayley and Shadow get over here!" snapped Shock. Lock and Barrel trembled from the searing anger in her voice.

Barrel asked in confusion "What's going on?"

"We're here" called Shadow as she and Hayley walked over to them. Shadow froze up as she stared at Spectre _'Oh crap, it's him again!?'_

The demonette folded her arms and said "What is it you want us to see?"

"Well, I thought you should meet my cousin, Spectre" said Ethan as he gestured to the newest addition to their strange group "He came to Halloweentown to become a mad scientist. He's already got an apprenticeship with Dr Finklestein"

Shock raised an eyebrow "Really?" in her peripheral vision she could see Shadow look away with hatred in her eyes. The witch couldn't blame her friend for cringing at the mentioning of the doctor's name, not after what he had done to her.

"That's really interesting" said Barrel dumbly "You know Shadow here- OW!" he turned wildly to Shock who had just kicked him in the head with her high heeled boot.

The witch casually added "She is very interested in science"

"Spectre" said Ethan as he gestured to the remaining strangers "The demonette is Hayley, the jester is Shadow, the mummy over there is Kamen and the uh… um…" he was lost for words trying to explain what Barrel was.

"I'm Barrel" he said with a grin

Spectre smiled back "Nice to meet you all"

"Now show them your arm!" said Lock with the patience of a small child awaiting candy while trick or treating.

"Fine" he growled as he rolled his sleeve up and revealed his robotic limb "Get over it already!"

"WOW! He's a robot!" exclaimed Barrel

Hayley smiled "That's awesome!"

'_No way… he created a bionic arm. He must be a genius!'_ Shadow thought as she remained silent. Spectre could see she wasn't as easily impressed in contrast to her friends.

"Mr Roboto! Beep! Beep!" laughed Barrel

Shock growled "Why are you going beep?"

"Robots go beep" added Lock

"I'M NOT A ROBOT!" roared Spectre

"At least now you don't have to hide that thing" laughed Ethan as he attempted to remain optimistic.

"Hayley! Shadow! Barrel!" shouted Harlequin "GET BACK TO WORK!"

The kitchen was so quiet with Barrel gone. Emily couldn't hear him cursing as he dropped a plate or hiss as he realised the water coming from the tap was boiling hot. There were better employees out there for the job, but no one made the corpse woman laugh like Barrel. He was her entertainment.

She heard the door swing open. Emily said "Come on guys take the lead out, the orders are backing up!"

"Is that any way to say 'hi' to an old friend?"

Emily turned wildly as she recognised his voice. A naked skeleton stood at the doorway. A bowler hat tipped casually on a slant over his cranium. His eye sockets shared his only eyeball. Emily couldn't help it, she threw her arms around him "Bonejangles!"

"That's more like it" he grinned "So how ya been sista?"

"Absolutely fantastic. It's been too long since we last saw each other. But I thought you were coming next week"

"Well, the old man thought it be better if I saw you sooner. No idea why though"

"So how is Elder Goodnick? And everyone at the Eye and Socket?"

"Everyone's fine, but still missing ya. When are you gonna come home?"

"I don't know yet…" Emily smiled "We shouldn't be talking now I'm still on the clock"

* * *

The fountain square was relatively secluded. Every so often you'd get a monster wandering through to head to another part of Halloweentown. Other than that it was nice and quiet. Boogie sat on the fountain was a piece of mouldy bread. She broke off pieces and fed it to the gathering ravens. Suddenly the birds parted and flew off into the sky. Boogie covered her eyes as the flurry of feathers swept around her.

"Nice to see you again" said Shadow as she materialised. The clock of town hall chimed loudly as it reached noon.

Boogie narrowed her eyes "I came as you requested"

"Can you tell your poltergeist friend to stop hiding? I know she's here"

"Very well. Lady, show yourself"

Slowly but surely a gown stretched up from behind a guillotine. But it looked more like someone was getting dressed rather than someone coming out of hiding. The invisible woman grumbled "And to think everyone saw me naked!"

"For the last time, NO ONE can see you Lady so you don't need to worry about wearing no clothes" informed Boogie as she stood up from the fountain.

"I can…" said Shadow

"What? No way! What does she look like anyway?"

The jester replied "She's a very beautiful woman. I honestly envy her body"

"How can you even see her!? I've known Lady for ages and I've never seen her" Boogie turned to her friend "Can you turn visible or something?"

"No Boogie" answered Lady as she adjust her mask and veil "As this girl is a half life like me, she can see me"

"A what life? Never heard of it"

"That's common, there are three types of monsters in this world, living, undead and half lifes. However it's hard to find a half life species these days"

"Hate to break up this deep and meaningful" interrupted Shadow "But I heard you got a deal for me?"

"Take a look at this" Boogie handed Shadow a scrap of broken bone "Do you know what it is?"

"Not yet, I need to analyse it first. Why?"

"Just take it for now. Once you've discovered what it is, we'll make contact again"

"But what is your deal?"

"I need someone to rebuild this creature. If you can do it, I'll bring the rest of the bones to your lab. Best of luck Shadow" Boogie and Lady vanished from sight. It wasn't a peculiar sight to behold. After all, poltergeists and boogiepeople were renowned for their teleportation powers. Shadow was left alone in the fountain square. She eyed the fragment of bone with curiosity _'I wonder what this came from… looks pretty ancient'_


	19. SCIENCE

Dr Finklestein's tower appeared to be buzzing with activity as Jason and Scarlet entered. The two ghoulish aristocrats walked right in and ignored Jewel and Igor. Those two were bellow their care factor. They both stopped as they entered the main laboratory. Lightning crackled from the machine as the lifeless iron began to shift. Dr Finklestein and Spectre grinned with glee as the test robot came to life. It was small, probably the size of a child but it was just a dummy to demonstrate how to use the lightning machine.

"So this thing sparks life to creatures?" asked Spectre. His eyes were wide with amazement.

The doctor answered "All living things need some form of nervous system to function. Everything needs a spark to move and maintain homeostasis"

"But how is this thing capable of recreating the natural chemicals found in neurons? Fair enough with robotics you just need to power the battery. But with living things, how does this thing work?"

"Good question, the lightning restarts the neurons and charges all the nerves. At certain frequencies electricity can kill all living things" Dr Finklestein increased the current of the lightning. The small robot twitched and fell to the ground motionless once more to emphasise his point. He then smiled "However it can be manipulated to create life. Surely you would know this because of your arm"

"Not exactly" Spectre waved his robotic limb "I have to replace the batteries on this thing every few months. I don't know anything about bionics"

"Well, biology is a dead field these days. People aren't afraid of them anymore. It's all about science fiction robots now"

"I dunno, I think it would be creepier to go up against an organic being rather than a machine"

"You'd be surprised as to how dumb humans can be" sneered Jason as he stepped forward. Scarlet stood next to him confidently. They both radiated their noble status.

"Ah, Jason, Lady Scarlet how nice to see you again" smiled Dr Finklestein as he turned to face them. He gestured to the half robotic corpse "This is my new apprentice, Spectre"

"Nice to meet you…?" Spectre was confused by the new audience. He never thought people would be allowed to just walk into a laboratory.

"I am Jason Skellington, the Pumpkin Prince and this is my girlfriend Countess Scarlet Bloodrain"

Scarlet lowered her parasol "We just came past to make a request of the doctor"

"Yes, what would you like?" chirped Dr Finklestein. Spectre still felt awkward in this situation. It was warm and friendly, yet ever so creepy.

Jason beamed "I need you to make a Soul Robber for Scarlet. Seeing as she is going to be my queen she needs a weapon"

"Oh well… I'm afraid I don't have the materials to make another one" replied the doctor

The two youths seems disappointed. Their eyes began to shine innocently like a puppy. Jason sighed "Oh... that's alright then"

Dr Finklestein grinned, a wicked plan in mind "No, I think you misunderstood me. I don't have the materials at the moment. But give me time and I'll prepare another for you" he looked to Scarlet "I hope you like the colour violet"

"Not my favourite, but it will do" she sneered

Spectre was baffled. The conversation seemed innocent enough. But he couldn't shake this eerie wrongness from his mind. In the pit of his gut he knew something evil was being planned.

"Now then Spectre, let's continue with the lesson" said Dr Finklestein

* * *

The backstreets were silent and wavered with shadows. Shock moved through with a nonchalant stride. You couldn't tell she had just robbed the Witches' Shop yet again. Stepping up the makeshift stairwell she moved from the street floor to the cluttered rooftops of Hemlock Homestead. As she headed up she paused and saw a group of girls talking. She recognised each of them as girls that had dated Lock at one stage and there was another with them, an obvious newcomer to their town.

"Thanks for showing me around" smiled the new zombie girl "Anything else I should know?"

A witch sneered "Yeah, one thing. If a devil guy called Lock asks you out go with him"

"It won't be serious, it's just a one night stand" informed the werewolf girl

The zombie asked "Really? Why?"

"Let's just put it this way" informed a corpse girl "Lock is the village bicycle, every girl's had a ride on him"

"Yeah and the saddest part is, he thinks he's a Casanova when really he's a living joke!" added a skeleton girl

"Then again, what more can you expect from an ex Boogie Boy, those three are nothing but losers" laughed a vampire girl "A man whore, a thief and an illiterate idiot is what they are!"

Another piped up "Don't even get started on losers, those other girls, what're their names… Malice, Hayley and Shadow are all weirdos!"

"So are the guys they hang around with! Ethan, Fang and Kamen, all of them are freaks!"

Shock pointed a finger to the group as she kept walking. She muttered "You all talk shit"

The group of girls didn't even notice the evil witch's presence or curse. Within seconds the spell went into effect. Whenever either of them tried to talk, no words came out, only excrement and faeces. Their gargled screams echoed through the street. Shock said nothing as she kept walking. All she did was crack a tiny smile. "Still got it" she giggled.

As Shock kept walking she was ignorant to the fact she was being watched. Boogie sat on a rooftop, her form cloaked in the shadows. The burlap sack woman smiled "Well, well, well, little Shock has grown up into an icy bitch, just the kinda person ideal to take control of the underground gambling scene"

The briars were devoid of life like always. It was so close to Halloweentown yet always deserted. No one lived here apart from Behemoth and Rusty. Shock walked confidently through the Pumpkin Patch and headed towards the maze that lied at the edge of the area. In her childhood, she remembered Lock, Barrel and herself always fleeing there after pranks simply because they were the only ones who knew their way around there. If you got lucky you could see the outskirts. But it went deeper once you passed through the waterfall tunnel. Shock's mind flicked back to reality as she heard ravens cry out. In a startled panic she quickly located the source of the sound.

"Hi Rusty" she waved to the scarecrow as he stood on a nearby hill. He stretched out a long arm and waved back to her as she walked through his territory. Shock passed a ragged sign with the words 'Barrel's Maze' written in dripping red letters. It was named after him because he knew every inch of that labyrinth. She walked through the ominous surroundings and made it to the waterfall. Using a spell to deflect the flowing water Shock entered the tunnel it concealed.

* * *

The cavern was large enough to house the miniature laboratory. Shadow had set up a few desks and resources of chemicals and tools to use for minor experiments. But this was only used as a halfway point between Halloweentown and her real laboratory where she worked on her projects. Besides it would be dangerous to keep everything in one place, not only because of Dr Finklestein nipping at her heels. But also because Lock, Shock and Barrel demand use of her lab as a hideout whenever they wanted (mainly due to the fact Shock gave her the start up information). The trio didn't know this was a decoy lab, in fact, no one knew where her real lab was. There are some things that are better kept as secrets.

However it was nice having people around; just as long as they didn't mess with her experiments. Barrel sat on the spare couch to the side. He was flicking through a few biology textbooks trying to comprehend the big words. Being dyslexic was always a hindrance when reading.

"Hey Shadow" called Barrel "What's this word?"

"What word?" she replied without turning from her work. She had already chipped away some of the bone sample and was testing it in various liquids. "Is it in the text or on a diagram?"

"Diagram, it's attached to an arrow that's pointing to this ring thing near the hooks of a tapeworm. Starts with a 'r'"

"Rostellum" Shadow collected some of the dissolved bone in a pipette. Squeezing a few drops on a microscope slide, she carefully placed the cover slip down to ensure no air bubbles would form in the liquid. An air bubble didn't look much to a naked eye. But under a microscope it would obscure the view of your subject.

"What's that do?"

"I'm no pro on Platyhelminths, but I think the rostellum is the hook like appendage a tapeworm possesses to suck nutrients out of its host"

"What's a platyhel…what?"

"Platyhelminths, it's the phylum that tape worms are part of"

"Stop making up words"

"I'm not, these are just basic things you have to know to understand biology at a deeper level"

"Science is boring, how can you have any fun with this kinda stuff anyway?"

Shadow focused her microscope on the slide "Well… you can find funny little details about animals"

"Like what? Name one funny little detail" Barrel declared as he slammed the book shut, clearly not convinced of his friend's statement. Shock walked in unnoticed by the two as their conversation kept going.

"Well, Platyhelminths are usually hermaphrodites, that means they are both male and female. This leads to most of them having 'penis fights' as they battle to impregnate the other"

Barrel and Shock froze wide eyed. They both lost it as they started laughing hysterically.

"Hey Shock" said Shadow "Didn't notice you were here"

Barrel howled as he hugged his ribs "How can you tell us a story like that and still keep a straight face!?"

"Be quiet you two I'm busy" growled Shadow as she kept working away

The microscope finally came into focus. Shadow's eyes widened as she saw the dead cells and spicules come into view at only a miniscule zoom of a hundred. In her view she could see tiny little crystals, like stars and diamonds. She muttered "This doesn't make sense"

"What do you mean?" said Barrel as he ran over "Let me see"

"Hey! Ladies first!" snapped Shock as she pushed him out of the way "Wow! Pretty what are those?"

"Spicules, they're structural components of organisms usually constructed from calcium or silicate"

"Well you did find these in a bone… so I assume it wouldn't be peculiar"

"You're wrong there Shock, according to recent studies spicules are only seen in the phylum Porifera"

Barrel scratched his head trying to keep up with the trail of thought "Which are?"

"Basically sea sponges"

"Aren't those plants?"

"Nope, they're filter feeders. Probably some of the earliest multi celled organisms too in the path of evolution"

"So… that bone is from a giant sea sponge?"

"They don't have real bones Barrel"

Shock queried "Then what are you getting at?"

The trio looked to the bone nervously. Shadow said "Whatever this thing is, it's ancient and it definitely hasn't been discovered yet"


	20. Secrets

The doors of town hall creaked open loudly. Heads turned from their Halloween planning to see Lock walk in. Immediately the crowd erupted in murmured words as the devil strode past. It was peculiar to see any Boogie Boy just walk into the town hall like this. Lock glared at the crowds of monsters as he stormed over to Jack Skellington. The Pumpkin King was talking with the Mayor and Malice as the devil approached.

"AH! IT'S LOCK!" cried the Mayor as he dived behind Malice and cowered like a child. His pale, panicked face had already clicked around.

Malice snapped angrily "Honestly Dad, grow a damn spine you pathetic loser"

"Don't be like that" he knew his daughter didn't mean such harsh words. It was just part of who she was. Malice had a split personality like him, but hers was more focused on anger rather than panic.

"Lock, good to see you" smiled Jack

The devil folded his arms and growled "What do you want from me?"

"Just to ask you for a favour. I wanted to give you, Shock and Barrel a job this Halloween"

"What?" Lock hid his amazement as he grunted "What do you want us to do? We already have plans"

"Well, considering humans are concerned with terrorists these days. You mind leaving a few dud bombs around? I thought this job would be right up your alley"

"I'll talk it over with Shock and Barrel. Maybe we can fit it in"

"I need an answer by tonight, Halloween is only a week away and I need this finalised"

"Yeah, alright" Lock walked unimpressed out the front doors.

Sally noticed Jack was now technically alone. No one was actually talking to him at the moment. She went to her husband's side and gently touched his shoulder "Jack?"

"Oh Sally" he turned around to face her "How're the new outfits coming?"

"Fine, but I was wondering about something"

"About what?"

"Well, Emily keeps asking why we haven't been down to the hideout in years. She really wants us to meet this Bonejangles as well"

"Wait, do you want to go on a double date somewhere?"

"Yes, I would. But you always seem so busy"

"We can do that. After we finish Halloween for this year we'll go out and not worry about anyone else" Jack stroked Sally's long red hair "I promise"

* * *

The bone fragment fell into the acidic liquid. Yet it didn't fizz or dissolve or even form a precipitate. Shock and Barrel were practically at Shadow's shoulders watching her work. They had no concept of scientific thought but at the same time, the prospect of discovering a new species was pretty exciting. Shadow stared at the beaker of liquid in curiosity "This doesn't make sense… this is hydrofluoric acid! It melts practically everything organic!"

"What?" said Barrel, he seemed to be muttering that word frequently.

"Hydrofluoric acid reacts with the calcium deposits in bones, in other words it can melt your bones and dissolve your flesh. You pour a bit on your arm and you practically have to amputate it if you want to live"

Shock turned to her half brother and grinned "Hey Barrel, I dare you to drink it"

"Okay!" he said as he reached for the beaker

Shadow smacked Barrel's hand with a metal ruler "No you don't! Shock, stop giving him stupid ideas"

"Come on, it's all in the name of fun" laughed the witch

"It's all fun and games in the lab until someone is mutilated… and that happens frequently" commented Shadow as she went over to the bookshelves.

"Really?"

"Why do you think there are very few mad scientists around? It's a health risk just to be one" Shadow sat down on a couch and flicked through a random book.

"I thought that was because it was too difficult to remember everything"

Barrel crept up behind Shadow and shouted "Hey, what're ya reading? Do you know what the bone is from!?"

"NO" screeched Shadow as she fell from the couch. She was never good with people sneaking up on her. Shock and Barrel high fived each other with wicked grins on their faces.

"I'm just at my brain's end… I don't even know what we're dealing with" Shadow curled up as she flicked through the pages of the book.

"Too bad it can't be some fantasy creature from Halloween folklore" nodded Shock

Barrel agreed "Yeah like manticores, or dark unicorns or zombie demon dragons"

"Would've been cool to have a dark unicorn" smiled Shock "They only showed themselves to most evil little girls"

"Then you'd definitely see one, give me a zombie demon dragon any day! They could spew freezing flames and fly and their saliva was like acid that dissolved people!"

Shadow's eyes widened with surprise. She grabbed Barrel by the scruff of his shirt and demanded "What was that last thing you said!?"

"The saliva thing? Well, those dragons were rumoured to spit on things and they would dissolve"

"Similar to the effect of hydrofluoric acid on organic material! I GOT IT! I KNOW WHAT IT IS!"

"Really?" Barrel raised an eyebrow in confusion. The young jester was actually starting to scare him.

"It's a zombie demon dragon! That's where the bone came from!"

Shock folded her arms. In disbelief she sneered "Why do you think that?"

"Think about it, hydrofluoric acid dissolves bone and flesh. That means in order to produce it naturally in the body, you need to be made of something that doesn't react with the acid! It's so plausible!" Shadow was jumping up and down with excitement as she explained her theory.

"You're crazy, it's just a myth. Fairy tales people tell so their kids fall asleep"

"Whatever, I'll prove it to you all!"

Barrel asked "When you do recreate a dragon, can I ride it?"

"Wait a minute" Shock had considered a vital point of the situation "Shadow, where did you get this bone from anyway?"

"Um… this poltergeist and a burlap sack doll gave it to me"

"A burlap sack doll?" Shock looked to Barrel "Do you really think she's back in town?"

Her half brother shrugged "Oogie did mention he had a sister that didn't live in Halloweentown"

"And that's another thing, who is this Oogie anyway?" interrupted Shadow

"HEY GUYS!" called Lock as he ran into the laboratory. His face was alive with excitement and glee as pranced in. With a grin he said "Jack wants us to plant fake bombs on Halloween!"

Barrel and Shock were distracted from Shadow's question as they both grinned with the same ecstatic energy. Shock noticed the clock on the wall "Hey Barrel, look at the time. Don't you and Shadow have work tonight?"

"Oh yeah" said Barrel as he grabbed Shadow "Come on, we don't wanna be late!"

'_Not again! Why can't they tell me who Oogie is? No one else wants to talk about him either!'_ thought Shadow as she was dragged out of the laboratory leaving Lock and Shock alone.

Shock casually said "So do you have a date tonight Lock?"

"No, none of the girls wanna go out with me. But I'll just pick some up later on tonight" confidently replied the devil.

Shock remained silent as her friend kept talking about Jack's proposition. She couldn't break the truth to him despite how cruel and black her heart was. She couldn't tell Lock that he was the joke of Halloweentown girls.

* * *

The streets of Halloweentown seemed quieter than usual. Shadow sensed this awkward silence and started to feel a fear rise in the pit of her gut. Not eventhe ghoul who blew your hair was around. The jester knew what was about to happen, it always began like this.

"Shadow, what's wrong?" asked Barrel as they walked. Luckily he didn't seem to notice anything.

"Uh… nothing. Just thinking"

"Is it about Spectre?"

"WHAT? Why would I waste my time thinking about that cyborg geek!?"

"I dunno, Shock said to me earlier that you were acting weird around him at the club last night"

"Well, it doesn't really matter anyway. He's just some guy living here, I doubt I'll ever see him again. You know how busy things get"

"So where did you disappear to last Halloween? We were waited for you at the fountain as long as we could but you didn't show up. We could really use your illusion magic" Barrel could remember the events of the previous Halloween.

Their small friendship group had organised to meet up and then go out together for a night of mayhem and pranks. Lock, Shock and Barrel had done this since they were kids, but now Kamen, Ethan, Fang, Malice and Hayley had become involved. This allowed their pranking abilities reach a new level of nightmarish horrors.

Shadow nervously scanned the area with her eyes "Well… I kinda had other plans. It's all to do with being a Joker. We can't really socialise with other monsters on Halloween"

"That's weird… so… uh… do you know what Hayley likes?"

"What?"

"Well, Christmas is only a month or so away from Halloween… and I…"

"You like her, don't you?"

"Yeah… why? Has she said anything about me?"

Shadow noticed it, the lurking monster in her peripheral vision. She said to Barrel "Look, I'm gonna be a little bit late, I just remembered I have something to pick up. See ya!"

"Wait, what're you talking about?" Barrel turned around just to see Shadow vanish into the darkness of the alleyway. She had manipulated the gloom to cloak her form from the naked eye. He then felt something whirl past as a powerful gust of wind knocked him down. Barrel looked up just to see a shadowy monster vanished in the direction Shadow had fled.

He muttered "What the hell is up with her? I don't think I've even seen that monster before…"

* * *

The hideout was almost tidy. All Hayley needed to do was mop the floor. Her Discman was on, her chunky headphones wrapped around her ears (once she had pushed her scruffy silver hair out of the way). She was dancing with mop as she sang loudly as the music played in her ears _"I want to break free, I want to break free! I want to break free from your lies, you're so self satisfied I don't need you"_

_  
_Hayley got into the spirit of Queen. She started dancing sexily around the handle of mop as she continued singing _"I've got to break free. God knows, God knows I want to break free"_

Barrel just walked in, the demonette didn't even notice him. He paused at the edge of the room and just watched Hayley continue to dance and sing _"I've fallen in love. I've fallen in love for the first time and this time I know it's for real. I've fallen in love, yeah! God knows, God knows I've fallen in love"  
_

He knew it was wrong to watch her. A part of Barrel told him to leave the room and give her privacy before she became embarrassed. But most of Barrel told him to keep watching her. Hayley was pretty cute when she sang and danced, it was so unlike her which made it adorable to him.

"_It's strange but it's true. I can't get over the way you love me like you do. But I have to be sure, when I walk out that door. Oh how I want to be free baby, Oh how I want to be free. Oh how I want to break free!"_ Hayley turned around as she sang into her mop like a microphone.

Her eyes widened as she saw Barrel had been watching her. He couldn't say anything to explain to her what he was doing, so he just pulled a stupid grin. The last thing he saw was Hayley smashing the mop across his face.

"Oh man… this is not good" said Hayley as she looked at the shattered wooden mop handle and Barrel dazed on the ground. "I told Dad we needed metal handles for these things!"

"Hi Hayley" Kamen casually walked in with a bag over his shoulder. It was heavy with records and vinyls.

She noticed the bag over his shoulder "Hey, what's with the bag?"

"Just a couple of old vinyls I borrowed from your Dad" Kamen froze as he noticed Barrel on the ground "You caught him watching you again, didn't you?"

"Well… yeah"

"You do realise he likes you so maybe you shouldn't smack him in the head with a mop every time he watches you" suggested Kamen "Of course, that's just my recommendation"

* * *

_Lyrics from "I want to break free" by Queen_


	21. Halloween

The moon was full as the sickly darkness of night cloaked the world of Halloween. The land itself buzzed with activity as the monsters and occupants gathered and crossed over to the world of the living. For tonight was Halloween, a night when monsters ruled and fear ran wild. It was a holy night in the calendar of this twisted world. 

Shock looked to the sky. It was almost covered as swarms of witches, vampires, bats, ravens and other winged demons soared overhead. Already the corpses and zombies were burying themselves in the ground to warp to the human world. The witch waited patiently in the cemetery with Lock and Barrel. It was still too early to go to the surface. Besides they were waiting for their friends.

"Hey Lock, Shock, Barrel!" waved Hayley as she came bounding over. She was steps ahead of Fang, Spectre and Ethan. Strangely Kamen and Malice lagged behind as the two were talking with one another. All of them were dressed in their scariest and finest outfits. 

Shock called "Hi Hayley, hurry up everyone we gotta go!"

"Kamen! Malice! Move it or loose it!" snapped Lock, his patience was at its end

Barrel just blushed as he looked at Hayley. He couldn't but feel a little nervous as he looked to her. The demonette had removed part of her torso scales in swirling patterns giving the illusion she was naked.

"What?" said Hayley as she eyed him, the lead pipe ready in her hands to strike

"Sorry, I just think you… you look really nice" Barrel sincerely replied to her

Fang taunted as he poked his forked tongue out "Get a room you two!"

"I know what you mean" muttered Ethan as he looked back at Kamen and Malice

Spectre adjusted his lab coat. He asked "So are we waiting for anyone else?"

"Nope, let's go!" commanded Lock as he took the lead

"What about that jester girl I see you guys with?"

"Oh Shadow… well, she can't hang out with us on Halloween. Something to do with being a Joker, I dunno, she doesn't go into it"

"But that doesn't matter, we got plenty of pranking to do!" cheered Shock. The group of youths vanished into the night. The time of mayhem was upon them.

Shadow remained out of sight as she watched her friends run off. She emerged from behind a headstone and stood proudly. _'There are some things people are never meant to see. The Joker clan is a noble and ancient order that is dedicated to tradition. That is why I cannot go around merely pranking humans'_ her mind's voice told her. She felt it, that pulse of twisted aura that only happened at Halloween. The young jester turned to see the moon. To the naked eye it looked normal, but to a Joker it was blood red. The violet marks on Shadow's body began to glow, even her eyes shone with a purple light. Her clothes instantly took a mind of their own. They wavered and twisted and tore to reveal her traditional robes.

Her body was now clad in robes of blue, black and grey as the ancient jester garb wrapped around her perfectly and trailed behind her in a mass of curls. Shadow's hair had twisted up into two high pigtails, the tails of her hat had literally exploded around her hair creating a disturbing headdress. A long coat covered her arms and torso, a pair of flares shielded her legs. They seemed to swirl with elaborated patterns of strange symbols and markings.

"Let's go Shadow" cheered a voice

Shadow turned to face her team for that night. Three other classes of Joker, similar to her; Shadow was the Jester of the quartet, it also consisted of a Scarecrow, Delusion and Aristocrat. The Scarecrow was called Dark, a tall slender boy dressed in the tatters of fabrics to look like a deranged doll. A ragged hat covered his shaggy hair and deranged green eyes. Beneath each eye was a green curved marking similar Shadow except his was green. The Delusion was called Eve, a girl the same age as her dressed in a frayed fairy costume like a child. Her outfit was a ramshackle of black and rainbow with tattered wire butterfly wings on her back. Her lank blond hair hung around his pale face. A marking was above and beneath her left eye that shone blue. The Aristocrat was named Gloom a brown haired gentleman wearing the fine robes of a traditional suit complete with top hat and cane. It curled and twisted like a spirit though as it wavered around his fragile body. An orange marking curved beneath his right eye.

"At once my brothers and sister" said Shadow. They weren't biologically related, it was just the way Jokers addressed their own kind. Instead of separate families, all Jokers saw their fellow mages as their own, when a child was born it was a triumph for all. The quartet of twisted illusionists walked off into the night.

* * *

The teens were dancing wildly as the music blared from the jukebox. All of them crudely dressed up for Halloween, mainly because all the girls showed up in some form of lingerie with a pair of animal ears on a headband and the boys didn't put any effort in (except wear a cape to denote a vampire costume). It was a pathetic attempt of a Halloween get together. Among them was a slim cheerleader with bouncy blonde hair dressed like a bunny.

"Hey Lana" said her boyfriend as he wrapped an arm around her

"Who are you?" she said coldly "I thought we broke up and now you come in and cramp my style! You're a freak!"

"What?"

"Get away from my girl ya stalker!" growled a football player as he charged forward

"But she's MY girl" snapped the other boy

Lana walked away with a smug smile of satisfaction on her face. She had them all wrapped around her little finger because of her looks. The air around her wavered suddenly as the walls began to ooze. The shadows rose from the ground and began to swirl with silhouette of nightmarish creatures. She paused awkwardly "Whoa, cool effects, NOT!" she laughed confidently. But no one at the party reacted. 

Lana heard a creaking sound echo in her mind as the mindless dregs of the party guests swirled around her. All of them were handsome gentlemen, all of them wanted her. But their warm faces melted away in a mass of blood and plasma. 

"Come on, this getting a little ridiculous" she tried stepping back but the ground had become sticky with blood. It seemed to stick to her as she tried to flee.

"STOP IT!" she screamed "SOMEBODY HELP ME!" 

But no one heard her. As she sank into the dark abyss of nothingness she saw something in the corner of her eye. Four strangely dressed people were laughing at her as they danced in the blood like children. They resembled jesters and other strange creatures. They were just moving around her and taunting her. But their voices, they echoed with the tone and pitch of everyone Lana had ever met and hurt with her shallow ways.

"Life is all a joke" cackled Shadow

Dark added "And the joke is on you"

"You've hurt enough with your ways" mocked Gloom

Eve smiled cruelly "So your life is through"

Lana disappeared that night. No one knew where or why. No one mourned the loss of the spoilt child, not even her parents.

Jason moved skilfully in the darkness. He moved closer to the group of adults as they held their sophisticated Halloween get together. His unsuspecting victims were just a breath away. He moved quickly, a scare tactic in mind. But all went wrong as his foot slipped. He face planted it on the ground. Not that anyone took much notice that he was an undead partly skeletal youth but the illusion was ruined. They knew he was there.

'_Pathetic'_ thought Jack. He descended from the rooftops. His fiery powers engulfed him as he reverted to the Pumpkin King form. The flame belching scarecrow monster made the party goers screech in sheer terror. They ran about madly as Jack kept his pyrotechnic show going. He even lighted a few of them on fire for good measure. Within seconds the house was deserted and the smell of burnt hair lingered in the air.

"You didn't need to show off again Dad" growled Jason

He transformed back into his normal form and said "Well, that's the tenth time I've saved your scares tonight"

"You don't need to! I can handle myself!"

"You obviously can't, and you expect me to just hand over the reigns as soon as possible. When you're the Pumpkin King you have no time for error. Every scare must be perfect!"

"Yeah well, I can be the Pumpkin King!"

"Enough of this, let's go back to Halloweentown, it's almost dawn" Jack paused momentarily. He saw Shadow along with three other Jokers run off into the night. They dived through a rip of crimson light in the air. _'That's it! That's the way to the Joker's realm!'_ he turned to his son "I must something out, YOU head back to Halloweentown!"

"What? NO WAY DAD!" exclaimed Jason as he chased after his father. They both dived through the crimson rip and vanished from the human world.

* * *

The light cleared, Jack and Jason found themselves standing before the towering gate of an unknown mansion. It was twisted and was architectural madness just like the rest of Halloweentown. Except, it appeared to be floating on a sea of grey clouds, it was the sky. Above their heads was the landscape of the Halloween world. It was a crazy topsy-turvy world that made no real logical sense.

"What is this place?" cowered Jason

Jack opened his eyes wide with amazement "This is the Labyrinth of Illusion… it's where the Jokers go on Halloween"

"Why?"

"I don't know, but I intend on finding out"

The Pumpkin king threw open the doors of the mansion. It opened into a vast empty hall. The walls looked partly melted and solidified into strange patterns. It looked more organic than artificial. The floor was stained with puddles of blood. The area was decorated with strange statues and altars, obviously constructed to worship the Joker gods. Jack walked into the hall and went thought a random door, mainly out of curiosity. He walked through the tunnel of darkness. 

Mere seconds later Jack found himself back in the entrance hall. Jason crashed into the back of him and fell to the ground. "What's going on? Why did you stop?" he whined

"This is the same room as before" muttered Jack "Look, those footprints of blood are mine and yours"

"Then maybe we try a different door?"

One by one, Jack and Jason tried every door, stairwell and gateway in that grand hall. But it was to no avail. They always wound up in the same location. 

"A Pumpkin King? What brings you to the courts of the damned?" rasped a voice. The puddles of blood swirled and formed a whirlpool that spewed forth a single figure. Jack and Jason instantly recognised it as a banshee. He was creepily thin with no true legs, his ancient tattered robes swirled around him looked eastern, like a kimono only cut for a man. His wiry hair was on edge like a lion's mane. His eyes were nothing but white. The banshee floated above the ground.

"Yes, I am. I came seeking the secret of the Jokers. What do they do in this place?" asked Jack. He knelt down and said "I humbly request that you explain things to me"

Jason interrupted "Dad, what are you doing? We bow to no one!"

"Jack Skellington… you are indeed a wise king" said the banshee "I am Kuroi, a guardian of these halls. I hailed from the eastern mountains of the Halloween world. Please follow me"

Jack followed Kuroi while Jason lagged behind. Jack asked his ghostly guide "How is it that I can understand you? Usually a banshee's voice ruptures your body and soul"

"In this world, we can speak and be heard. Regardless of our ways, we will never harm the monarchy of Halloweentown. No matter how ancient or obsolete your people perceive us to be" informed Kuroi "Come now, witness the main ballroom of the Jokers"


	22. Joker's Secret

Lana awoke, her heart racing. Her body had been stripped naked while she was unconscious. Now she was lying on her front, her hands and legs held in place by rusted hooks that were chained to the ground. She looked around the dark hall stained with crimson upon the black stone. The entire setting resembled a nightmarish dungeon ready for torturing victims. The ground was covered in a shallow lake of blood. Strange jester people walked the hall calmly with others like her, other humans who had been captured. These jester folk looked so human, but the glowing markings on their bodies and their glowing eyes gave away they weren't.

"Good to see you're awake. It would've been boring to begin while you were unconscious" said Shadow as she towered over her victim. Screams were echoing in the hall like a song. Gloom and Eve were too preoccupied with dancing in the blood amongst other couples to take part in the delightful torture. Dark stood by her and handed Shadow a syringe filled with a strange liquid.

Lana choked, her body was already aching "What are you doing? Who are you?"

"I am Shadow, and you are my canvas for tonight. You should be honoured to die at the hands of an artist"

"Art? What are you talking about?" 

"The art of torture is a balance of pain and precision. It's nothing like what you mere humans believe it to be" Shadow buried the syringe into her spine and injected the liquid. She ignored Lana's sharp gasp of air. "Brother Dark, please hand me the cutter"

Like an obedient nurse Dark handed her the 'cutter', it resembled a twisted pizza cutter. Slowly, steadily, ensuring her victim felt every jagged tooth pierce her flesh, Shadow cut through the layers of flesh on her back systematically. In the mean time Dark had fastened the loose sheets of flesh away from the operating area using old meat hooks that dangled from the ceiling. Lana kept screaming, but her torturers didn't falter in their movements. They had no remorse for what they were doing. They kept going until they had found what they were looking for. Lana's vertebral column and spine was finally revealed to them.

"How is the pain?" asked Dark "Isn't it delightful? Sister Shadow injected you with opioid blockers so your body can't naturally tolerate pain"

"Now for the symphony" chimed Shadow "Brother Dark, would you like to enjoy a beverage? Her lymph nodes should be ready for extraction" 

"Excellent, I was feeling a little parched actually" Dark wandered over to the other side of Lana so he was opposite his partner in crime. 

Shadow gazed upon Lana's naked vertebrae lustfully, they were just begging for her to strike now. She readied a few metal probes in her hands and began her work, stabbing the long thin spikes of metal in between the bones of Lana's spine and piercing the delicate nerves. Shadow got into the rhythm of torture as she played Lana like a xylophone.

All nerves of the body trace back to the spinal chord. By striking them you induce agonising, intolerable pain in your subject. Combined with the power of an opioid blocker and you have a powerful cocktail for inducing pain. There was nothing left to do but listen to the symphony of screams. As your victim suffered agony no words could describe.

As Lana felt the hellish torture play throughout her body she noticed Dark hovering near her arms with a large needle in hand. He raised it and stabbed it roughly into her arm pit. She screamed as loud as she could, but Lana should've realised by now that it didn't stop the torture. Dark moved the needle carefully, he could feel it penetrate the various tissues of the body. Torture was an art to them and they always performed it with inhuman precision. Any idiot could find the vein or artery, but only a true master of the art could locate a lymph node. 

Meeting his mark, Dark extracted a clear liquid from Lana. Pouring into a goblet he took a sip of the bittersweet lymph "Beautiful, the sweat of a lustful and manipulative bitch like you is always tasty"

Lana looked up at Dark, her eyes rained tears as Shadow kept toying with her spine. The Scarecrow passed Shadow the goblet "Taste this, it's delicious"

"No thankyou, I'm saving for the creamy centre of the spine" smiled Shadow

Dark knelt down to Lana's level. He smiled cruelly "You think we chose you at random? Hell no! We only choose the tastiest specimens. The tastiest are always the sinful and cruel ones"

"Brother Dark! Sister Shadow!" chirped a young voice. They both looked down to see a young Joker child, judging by his attire and markings, he was a Scarecrow. The little boy chimed "Can I help? Please! I want to become the best and you two are some of the best around!"

Shadow and Dark blushed slightly from this comment. All Jokers were incredibly modest when it came to torture techniques, it was part of their nature. 

"Of course you can, young brother" said Dark

Shadow smiled "Please help us change this girl's tune. I'm getting sick of her scream, we need a pitch change"

"I know exactly what you mean. Here, let me show you child"

The young Scarecrow watched Dark kneel down before Lana's face. With one hand he cracked her jaw open and pulled her tongue out of hiding. He nailed a rusted spike through her tongue, pinning it to the wooden board before her head. 

Dark grinned as he handed the child a rusted saw "Please, cut her tongue off"

"Really? Can I?" 

"Yeah, go ahead. Be sure you use a nice slow motion to cut through the flesh" Dark positioned the saw and the child near Lana. He said to his little apprentice "Don't be afraid to apply a little force too"

"But what if she screams? Do I keep going?"

Shadow replied without looking from her work "Yeah, trust me, she likes it" she was chipping away at Lana's vertebral column with a hammer and chisel, she wanted to get to the spinal chord. 

Dark smiled as the little Joker began sawing her tongue off. Lana's scream became gargled as blood began to choke her throat. 

"And now the most delicious part!" Shadow grinned as she reached in and took hold of the bundle of nerves concealed by the vertebrae. She pulled with all her might and tore out a mass of Lana's spinal chord. The human was going into shock, she couldn't take much more of this hellish pain. Shadow grinned wickedly as she injected another serum into her.

"Don't think you're getting out of this so easily" grinned Shadow as she looked down upon the mangle form of her victim. The Jester raised the torn fibres of the spinal chord before her and bit into it. The taste of cerebrospinal fluid was to die for, it was sweet with a spicy aftertaste. It was pure bliss.

* * *

Jack and Jason dry retched from the horrors beneath them. Kuroi had led them to a partly concealed balcony at the higher levels of the ballroom of torture. Many Jokers were teamed up at various work benches torturing their prey. The screams emitted were music to their ears as other Jokers danced. Small children of the clan were crowded around their idols begging to help them with the torture. Even babies and toddlers were playing in the blood and listening to stories from the elders of the clan.

Jack recognised Shadow, he saw her cruelty towards her victim. He also couldn't help but keep his wrist concealed. Ever since arriving in this strange place, his soul robber had started glowing and tingling in a peculiar manner.

"I see you've noticed Sister Shadow, she's an excellent torturer. No wonder really, she's always playing with autopsies. On her way to becoming one of the finest in our clan" smiled Kuroi

Jason couldn't keep watching. He looked away as Shadow began to devour Lana's spinal chord. 

Jack muttered "But… what are Jokers? Why do they do this?"

"A Joker is someone who can torture both the mind and the body. However it is common to only hear of our illusionary powers, we don't like to brag of our torture abilities. We do this because it brings us joy… we are worshippers of the chaotic gods of night. We take pleasure in serving them. That is why every Halloween, we all gather in these great halls and offer sacrifices to them"

"That's insane, this is inhuman! It goes against everything Halloween stands for" protested Jason

"Silence" snapped Jack, he turned to Kuroi "But how do you choose your sacrifices?"

"We only take humans who are wicked or sinful and feel no remorse for their crimes. We give relief to their friends and families by ridding them of their problem. Either way, we care not for any emotional attachments, to us, humans are merely cattle ready to harvest. It also allows us unwind and relax after the year is up. Halloween is after all, the Joker new year" Kuroi turned to Jack and Jason, his eyes were clear and true "I'd be careful not to get on the wrong side of this Shadow. After all, we only left your town because you misunderstood us"

"Kuroi, what happened between Halloweentown and the Jokers? Tell me! I want to know" pleaded Jack

"Why not ask Dr Finklestein? He was the one who killed me as I tried to save my wife from his clutches"

"Kuroi, please tell me more!" Jack and Jason froze, their bodies were becoming transparent.

"I'm afraid your time is up here. Be aware creatures like you cannot exist freely here. Good luck your majesty in solving your riddles" said Kuroi

Jack and Jason felt the darkness cloud around them as they were warped from the labyrinth.

* * *

_Author note: This chapter has finally pushed this fanfic into the M rating. Sorry, I couldn't resist the whole torture thing. Needed to explain Shadow's fascination with cutting dead stuff up._


	23. Town Meeting

The kitchen of the hideout smelt of fried raven eggs, scorpion pancakes and rashers of the muscle from humans. It was a heavenly odour to a weary mob of monsters that had just spent Halloween going crazy throughout the night. Emily and Harlequin were busy cooking up their traditional recovery breakfast as the others stayed in the main dining area. Bonejangles was talking up a storm with the young monsters.

"So me and me skeleton pals were stalking over these people at the dinner table. All was silent in the grand ballroom as we appeared just above the heads of our victims. Then… I screwed up, my eye fell down into the soup" cackled Bonejangles, he was standing up on the bar and waving his arms around as he told his story "Then the guy just picks it up with his spoon and says 'There's an eye in me soup'. All hell broke loose after that as this broad freaked out! We didn't have to do anything, those stupid idiots were running around like chickens with their heads cut off"

"How many did you scare?" asked Malice, she was sitting on Kamen's lap.

"Well, the fear went away as one of me mate's grandkids recognised him. After that it was a party at the church!"

"At least it has a happy ending" nodded Ethan

Fang interrupted "No way! What happened to Emily and Victor? What happened!?"

"Yeah Bonejangles" added Lock "Obviously nothing went to plan because Emily showed up here years ago still single"

The skeleton dusted his eyeball off and popped it back into his socket "Well, at the church… Emily was reunited with her murderer once again"

"Tell us more!" begged Shock and Hayley

"How funny was the look on his face?" cheered Hayley

The witch chimed "Did she kill him?"

"Funny story actually…" said Bonejangles as he began to retell the events at the church.

"Emily, are you alright?" asked Harlequin. He noticed the sadness in Emily's eyes as Bonejangles told the story. She seemed so unlike her cheerful self. The demon asked "Didn't you have a fun Halloween?"

"No, I had a great time" sniffed Emily as a tear rolled down her cheek "It's just… I still haven't gotten over that incident… it's been at least a decade by now and I still get depressed from it"

"I just think you need to find the right guy and settle down somewhere"

"The right guy? There never is a right guy…"

"What about Bonejangles?"

"What about him?"

"Well… he is your friend. Ever thought of taking it further?"

"I don't know Harlequin"

"Oh well, just throwing up some positive energy to cancel the negative vibes. Too many bad vibes means disaster!"

"Whatever you say Harlequin"

"Say what you want, but I still believe in the great karmic balance"

The door of the hideout creaked open as Shadow emerged from the catacomb tunnels dressed in her normal clothes. She entered to find Lock, Shock, Barrel, Hayley, Ethan, Fang, Spectre, Malice and Kamen sitting around Bonejangles as the skeleton entertained them. Despite how quiet she was, she couldn't escape the hyperactivity of Hayley.

"SHADOW!" the demonette exclaimed as she tackled the jester to the ground in a bear hug "You're back! How was your Halloween? Get up to much? You should've come with us! It was awesome!"

"Calm down Hayley, let her talk!" snapped Shock in a commanding tone

Shadow found herself dragged up to her feet by Barrel. He pulled her over to the cluster of chairs and tables they were all gathered around.

"So where did you go last night?" asked Barrel

"Just out with some old friends from Sleepy Hollow, some very good friends of mine"

"Wait a minute" Malice leaned over and said "Do you have some boyfriend back there?"

Shadow gasped "What?"

"It makes sense, why else would she ditch us again on Halloween?" taunted Shock

Barrel and Lock chanted like children "Shadow's got a boyfriend! Shadow's got a boyfriend!"

"I DO NOT HAVE A BOYFRIEND" yelled Shadow. Her voice was so loud it echoed in the large hall.

Spectre muttered "Someone needs to calm down"

"What's all this about anyway?" asked Harlequin as he walked in with Emily. Both of them were carrying plates of food for breakfast.

Hayley whined "Shadow won't tell us what she did last night"

"Not this again" sighed Emily

Bonejangles leaned over to his corpse heart throb and said "What are you talking about sista?"

"Well, Shadow disappears at Halloween and the others get a little curious about it"

Shadow calmed herself as she explained to her friends "The reason I don't join you is because… there are some things only Jokers are meant to see and do. It has a lot to do with Halloween as well so I have to follow Joker tradition rather than go pranking with you all"

"But what are these traditions?" inquired Lock

Barrel added "Are they fun?"

"Yeah, really fun. It so incredibly enjoyable your heart's pumping pure ecstasy" said Shadow

"And yet you can't tell us what you do!"

"Barrel, Lock, stop this foolishness!" said Harlequin as he came to Shadow's defence "It's good to see kids these days upholding tradition. It's not common round here"

Their little world was disrupted as the Mayor's megaphone cried through the catacombs "Town meeting! Town meeting today! Come to the town hall within the hour"

'_Stupid Mayor'_ thought Kamen as Malice left his side _'Anything to keep us apart'_

"Aw, but we haven't even eaten!" cried Lock, Barrel and Ethan. They always took their meals very seriously.

* * *

They arrived late at the meeting (mainly because Lock, Barrel and Ethan refused to go without eating). Harlequin, Emily and Bonejangles slinked in and took a seat with Behemoth and Rusty. The creepy youths sat at the back of the hall and out of sight. Usually so Lock, Shock and Barrel could throw things at the podium. Jack took his place at the podium on stage as the Mayor focused the spotlight. Sally sat on the branches of the Hanging Tree and surveyed the crowd. Jason sat at the front next to Scarlet. A malicious plan was unfolding in his mind.

"Great Halloween everybody, I believe it was our most horrible yet! Thankyou everyone" smiled Jack "Now then, it is time to discuss any new ideas or plans for next Halloween. The floor is open to all!"

"How bout we do more terrorist pranks?" called Lock

Shock laughed wickedly "It made them scream like babies!"

Jack delicately explained "Yes well, no one was really having fun with that. Also, monsters were nearly getting caught by the police. So let's keep it to a minimum, okay?"

"Kill joy!" pouted Shock

A paper plane shot from Barrel's hand and landed in Jack's eye socket. He smirked "Bullseye"

"Alright, anybody got some serious and mature ideas to bring to the floor?" growled Jack as he scrunched up the paper plane.

"Actually you are overlooking one serious problem" Jason said as he stood up. He walked with confidence to the stage and recited his speech "Last night, my father and I ventured into the realm of the Jokers. We witnessed what their kind does on Halloween. They are nothing more than sick, twisted monsters"

"Oh no… Jason just keep quiet…" muttered Shadow. Hayley and Spectre noticed the jester's reaction. Her face was buried in her hands as her body trembled.

"They had kidnapped people with no intentions of returning them. Oh no, they tortured them, agonising and inhumane techniques were used. I watched Shadow play a poor girl's spine like a xylophone while her friend and a child were sawing off her tongue and drinking from her lymph nodes! Shadow even tore out part of the girl's spinal chord and ATE it. She didn't even show remorse for what she had done!"

"Jason, stand down! Our kind kill people all the time" growled Jack as he grabbed his son.

"But at least their deaths are quick and painless. She tortured that girl for hours. We only saw a glimpse of her work, who knows how long her torturous ways went for?" The Pumpkin Prince squirmed free as he went down to the levels of the citizens. He said "What if she screws up? What if her torturous ways make it to the surface and she starts doing this to us?"

Jason knew there was a stigma attached to the idea of a torturer in Halloweentown. Usually they experimented their ways on citizens to ensure they don't falter on Halloween. Jason strode to the back and leaned down near Shadow "After all, don't Jokers treat humans as mere cattle? How long until you forget that? How long until you start killing your neighbours? Just so you can smile. I know that you're a renowned torturer amongst your own kind, Shadow"

"Back off you fuckwit!" snarled Hayley as she pushed him down

Ethan jumped in and defended her "Yeah, any idiot can tell the difference between a human and a citizen of Halloweentown!"

"But she's not normal, in this town there are only living and dead. A Joker is a half life, they're not of sound mind! What kind of race tortures people to sacrifice to their gods!?" growled Jason

Shadow stood up, her face was void of emotion. She didn't say anything to Jason, she just stared at him. Letting out a soft sigh of disappointment she simply melted into the darkness and vanished from sight.

'_What? She didn't even fight back'_ thought Spectre _'I wonder what she's up to'_

"Shadow?" called Hayley, she felt a hand stop her from going after her

Barrel said "Maybe this isn't the best time to go talk to her" as he pulled Hayley back down to her seat. The meeting went on, but you couldn't shake off the sense of fear lingering in the air. Most of them didn't even know what a half life was until today. Some had never even seen one before. But no matter what you are, you are still weak to the fear of something unknown.

* * *

Hayley stood at the fountain. She stared at the water with a hint of sadness in her eyes. Ethan, Spectre, Fang, Kamen and Malice were with her. Neither of them could believe it either.

"What a wanker" declared Fang "Honestly what the hell is going through Jason's head?"

Malice folded her arms and growled "You mean apart from shit"

"He probably still holds a grudge against Shadow because she cut his soul robber" Kamen reminded as he wrapped his arms around Malice

"I don't know why people are freaking out. Isn't it natural to hurt humans?" asked Spectre

"Well apparently it's wrong if someone confuses a human for a Halloweentown citizen"

"Which is unlikely because we don't look like humans at all" informed Ethan

"Still, people are dense these days, really dense" said Hayley without turning from the fountain "This situation could really get out of hand"

Spectre paused as his watch began to beep. "Sorry guys, gotta go. Time to help out in the lab" he said as he walked off.

"All he does is work. He never seems to loosen up" sighed Ethan, clearly concerned about his cousin.

"What do you mean?" asked Malice

"Well, Dr Finklestein keeps asking him to draw out blueprints and ideas for him. To check to see if Spectre's on the right track"

"That's a little fishy, the code in the Halloweentown law says that apprentices don't produce any new findings or original designs until they've finished their training"

"Then why would Dr Finklestein want Spectre's designs?"

"No idea, but something ain't right" said Malice as she headed for the Town Hall "You guys keep safe, I gotta scope a few things out"

* * *

The door of the tree house was thrown open as Lock, Shock and Barrel walked in. They were weary from the meeting and still in disbelief of what Jason had said. They sat around the main area on the couches and chairs. Lock pushed his hair away from his face as he lied down on his favourite coffin couch. He said "I cannot believe it… Shadow was some master torturer all this time? Why didn't she tell us?"

"How could we not notice it? She always seemed to crack a smile when there was a chance to play with dead stuff" informed Shock

"I wonder if she'll teach us any tricks" smiled Barrel "I mean, how did she get to someone's spine AND keep them alive? That's pretty impressive"

"Wouldn't that kill a human?"

"I think a torturer would know how to keep them alive. They get a real kick from knowing they're causing pain" informed Lock

The trio were familiar with the concept of a torturer. After all, when Oogie was alive he was a torturing madman. If anyone didn't pay him back he made them wish they were never born. They knew torture was a true skill; to make your subject go through the most horrific pain and remain alive was a difficult challenge.

"Still, you're right. It would be interesting to learn a trick or two from Shadow" agreed Shock

Barrel then sat up as he realised "Shadow's been ditching us on Halloween to go torture people. No wonder she never showed up!"

"Took you long enough to put those two factors together"

Boogie watched them from outside the tree house. The Oogiewoman stood proudly and thought _'I need to speak to Shock alone… but that cannot happen now. I'll have to get her at night'_

* * *

Shadow meditated in the Pumpkin Patch away from prying eyes. She knew Jason was starting to turn people against her. _'But what have I done wrong to him? Why is he targeting me?'_ she thought as toyed with the darkness cast down by the shadows. She folded them and twisted them into hauntingly beautiful butterflies. They flapped their small wings and into the light. However the sun made them spontaneously combust with a bright flash of violet flames.

Her thoughts were disrupted as she heard someone clap. Shadow turned around to see Rusty applauding her magic. It was eerie how he always seemed to be there in the background. It'd be amazing to hear all the secrets he knew… if he could talk.

"Why hello there young Shadow" growled a wolfish voice

The jester looked up to see the werewolf of Halloweentown tower above her. His jaws were lined with razor sharp fangs. His eyes were a sickly green with a slit like pupils. A tattered old shirt was stretched over his muscular body. A sack was slung over his shoulder.

"You're… you're Maul aren't you… please don't kill me" begged Shadow. She knew who he was and of his reputation.

"I'm not here to kill ya. Just came to meet you in person. I've heard a lot from Mr Hyde about you" smiled Maul "Also wanted to give you your delivery in person"

"Wait, you're Gil's supplier?"

"Yeah, and I know you've been buying lots of flesh from him too. Strange thing is, how come we've never seen any of your monsters?"

"They're still not quite ready"

"Fair enough, anyway, here's your gear" said Maul as he passed the sack to Shadow "Oh yeah, I was wondering something. How would you like to replace me?"

She looked up at him in confusion "What are you talking about?"

"Well, us crime lords need heirs. Too bad none of my kids can kill people in cold blood. But you, you're different and you ain't scared of hurting people. So how bout it?"

"I dunno, I have to think about this"

"Give me your answer when you've made a decision. There's no pressure" Maul cracked a sickly smile as he walked off. Shadow sat calmly and thought of his deal. She had the potential to either become a mad scientist or a masochist. Both of them were equally appealing to her as well. She shook her head and thought _'Oh well, I'll come to it later. Anyway, better get these parts out to the lab before they rot'_


	24. Night Out

The Hinterlands were so silent. It always was. The serenity and peace of this place was ideal for hiding things. You could sense when something was coming. It gave you the chance to hide or ready for a fight. That's the main reason why Shadow chose this place as the location of her lab. The jester walked back through the forest having dropped off the chunks of flesh. One of her experiments was asleep in her backpack. She looked ahead with alert eyes, she could sense something wrong. Her hand hovered over to the machete that rested at her waist.

"Is that anyway to saw hello to someone like me?" cackled Boogie as she materialised from the shadows of the trees. The boogiewoman was so tall, Shadow only came up to her chest.

The jester growled "You…who are you? Where did you find the dragon bone?"

"Good to see you worked it out and yes, I know where you're real lab is. I had Lady follow you for a day or so. Funny how you always run here at night"

"You didn't answer my question. Who are you?"

"My name is Boogie Oogie, the Mistress of Screams. I found that dragon bone frozen in a glacier in Nepal. There are plenty more where that came from too. So are you interested in rebuilding this creature?"

"Definitely, but what do you intend to do with it?"

Boogie let out a sigh as she came clean with her motives "I just wanted to revive the species. I used to hear stories from my parents about legendary monsters and how they terrified. The main purpose of my position is to keep fear alive in the human world. So what better way to do that than revive a creature that had supposedly vanished?"

"It is indeed effective. But I cannot do this if you intend to misuse it"

"Relax, I work with Jack. He doesn't know about this. It's a present for him"

"I guess that sounds alright. However, you boogie people are famous for your treachery"

"Why would I want to hurt Jack or Halloweentown? What do I have to gain? I mean, we were lovers as teenagers and I love this town, why would I hurt it?" Boogie raised her burlap stub of a hand to Shadow "So, are you in or out?"

"I'm in, but it'll take some time to complete a project this big" informed Shadow "Seeing as you know where my real lab is I give you permission to enter" she passed Boogie a moon charm "This should dispel the illusions cloaking it. Be aware though, it will shatter after you've made the delivery"

"Always the cautious one. It's a good thing to see"

"I have to be cautious, I'm not exactly working in the most legal area"

* * *

The hideout was clean and ready for another night of business when Shadow came in. It always took a while for her to travel between her real lab and Halloweentown. Harlequin and the rest of the staff were crowded around the table.

"Shadow, where ya been?" asked Kamen

"Just had to sort something out" she replied as she took a seat.

Hayley noticed something poking out of Shadow's bag. "Hey what's with the doll? It's kinda cute"

"Huh, oh, this is one of my creations. It's called Stitches. I thought I'd bring it out so it can become acclimatised to real life" the jester said as she pulled the doll out. It was no bigger than a toddler. It looked like a twisted ragdoll sewn from tatters of brightly coloured and patterned fabrics. Stitches had two unevenly shaped buttons from eyes and two horn like shapes on opposite sides of its head. A red swirl was stitched on its belly.

"It's so cute!" squealed Hayley as she hugged it

"That's very nice work, how did you make it?" asked Emily

Shadow answered "I used some old bones, fabric and old nerves from a child" she smiled warmly as she thought _'Mostly supplied by a leprechaun who had wandered off from St Patrick Town'_

"Aw! I think it likes me" cooed Hayley as Stitches hugged her back

"Anyway, let's continue with the plans for tonight. It may be one of our easier nights but let's keep setting up" interrupted Harlequin "Emily is spending the night as a date with Bonejangles, Jack and Sally. So things are shifting around, we all need to work on this together. I'll be in the kitchen cooking, Barrel, Shadow, you two are on waiting tables. However Barrel, I don't want you to take orders"

"Got it" nodded Shadow

Barrel smiled "Understood"

"Kamen, you're still on DJ duty but throw in some tunes for the lovebirds to dance to" said Harlequin "Hayley, seeing as I'm in the kitchen. You'll be on the floor tonight"

"Really?" she replied nervously "Are you sure I'm ready for that responsibility?"

"Of course I am, now let's get this place opened up for tonight!"

* * *

"This is an outrage!" snapped Jason. He couldn't believe what his father had just told him. The prince was sitting in the lounge of Skellington Manor. His father was dressed in a more casual black suit than usual.

Jack replied as he adjusted his tie "Why? Can't your mother and I go out once in a while?"

"Well… um…" he was lost for words. Jason was mainly irritated because he had no plans for the night.

"Jack, are you ready?" asked Sally as she came downstairs

"Yes, Sal-" Jack stood stunned as he gazed upon his ragdoll love. Sally was wearing a new dress she had made for herself from the fabrics Harlequin had retrieved for her. It was tattered and made from layers of various fabrics much like her normal patchwork dress. The dress tied around Sally's right shoulder with a bat bow. Her hands were covered by fingerless lace gloves.

"When did you get that dress?" said Jack

Sally laughed "I made it recently, why? Do you like it?"

"You're to die for"

"Get a room!" snapped Jason

"Well, shall we?" Jack offered his arm to Sally. With a smile she took it and they walked out into the night.

* * *

The floor erupted in the frenzy of the mosh pit as they raced down. Hayley overlooked the cramped sea of people as they went crazy. The blaring music screamed from the speakers. The howling voice sang _"Trapped in purgatory. A lifeless object, alive! Awaiting reprisal. Death will be their accusation"_

"Why the hell did Kamen put Slayer on?" muttered Hayley "He knows it's my first time in this position"

She shivered at the thought of cleaning up later. A mosh always resulted in missing body parts that would later be found scattered on the ground (most of them are trampled into the ground). It was a very dirty and hard job trying to find the owners of the detached appendages.

"_The sky is turning red. Return to power draws near. Fall into me. The sky's crimson tears. Abolish the rules made of stone" _

Lock sat down at the booth with an angry expression on his face. He was grumbling to himself and gritting his yellow fangs. Ethan, Malice and Spectre didn't know what to think. One second they were just enjoying a few drinks and a decent feed. The next they had a pissed off devil at their table.

"What's wrong?" said Spectre as he drank his beer

Lock grabbed Spectre by his shirt and growled "I don't get it! None of the girls are interested in me"

"That's a first" added Malice sarcastically

"Just go into the mosh for a while" suggested Ethan "You'll feel better"

"Nah, I'm not in the mood" pouted Lock

"But you love moshing"

"I know…"

Spectre asked "Why does it matter if you're with a girl or not?"

"What kind of question is that?" snarled Lock

"Calm down you moron. You obviously haven't drunk enough" Spectre shoved a six pack of beer into the devil's hands.

"I don't like beer"

"Why the hell not?"

"I just don't" Lock always preferred vodka to beer; mainly because he was vain and didn't want a beer gut.

"Fine" Spectre waved to Shadow and Barrel who were standing at the bar.

Barrel quickly wandered over "Yeah?"

"Gimme vodka!" snapped Lock. But he wasn't in the mood to talk clearly so it came out as a garbled mess.

Ethan translated "I think he wants some vodka"

* * *

Bonejangles' eye lustfully gazed upon Emily's form. She was wearing a short violet dress with tattered edges. It was framed with swirls of clear jewels. The corpse beauty looked to him and sighed "You know, you could've worn a suit"

"Hey, I got a tie around my neck. I'm dressed up!" said Bonejangles as he waved his black tie in front of her face. They were both waiting outside the hideout for Jack and Sally.

Emily paused and thought for a moment. She asked "Why exactly were you executed again?"

"Some charge for streaking, indecent exposure I believe. However, back when I had flesh it was pretty decent exposure"

Emily giggled as she remembered Bonejangles story. She turned to see Jack and Sally approaching.

"Sally! You look gorgeous!" exclaimed Emily. She quickly did the introductions "Bonejangles this is Jack and Sally"

"Nice to meet ya" winked Bonejangles

"Nice to meet you too" said Sally

Jack's eye sockets were wide as he stared at Emily's skeleton friend _'Dear god, he's a nudist!'_

"Let's go in" smiled Emily

* * *

"Hey check it out! Jack's here. Wow, for older birds, Emily and Sally are looking hot tonight" said Ethan in a drunken slur. The rest of his drinking buddies looked up to see Jack, Sally, Emily and Bonejangles walk in.

Malice's eyes widened with horror. She quickly dived behind Ethan and cried "Don't let him see me"

"Why?" asked Lock

"Because my dad thinks I work at night. He doesn't know I come here"

"He thinks you're an innocent little girl…? I always knew your dad had a few screws loose but that's just ridiculous"

"Shut up Lock!" snapped Malice

Jack recognised her instantly, there aren't too many split faced people in town. He went over and said "Malice?"

"Oh uh…" she quickly dusted herself off "Hi"

"Wait a minute, did your dad put you up to this? I can't go anywhere without him watching me. I get so paranoid I swear he watches me and Sally get busy"

"No Jack, I come here frequently to see my friends and uh… boyfriend"

"A boyfriend? Does your dad know this?"

"No, he doesn't and I'd like it to stay that way"

"So who is your boyfriend anyway?" Jack said as he looked around.

"He's the DJ"

"Kamen? I had no idea he'd be your type"

Sally grabbed him by the arm "Jack, come on! We're going to dance!"

"See you at work Malice" smiled Jack as he sauntered off.

* * *

_Lyrics from "Raining Blood" by Slayer_


	25. Something's in the air

A few hours later Shock finally showed up at the hideout. She loved coming here are robbing places at night. The best part is that Harlequin didn't care if she stashed her loot here. After all, they were somehow in the same business. He was just more organised and skilled in this work. The witch went over to the table where Spectre and Lock were. Malice was up with Kamen at the DJ station while Ethan was lost to the dance floor. Everyone was still a little feverish from the mosh.

"So what happened to him?" she said as she gestured to Lock. The devil was currently resting his head on the table muttering strange curses to himself and growling.

"He had a couple bottles of vodka" informed Spectre "He really has a dependency on relationships. None of the girls will go with him"

"You got that right" nodded Shock. She remembered how once when Lock was rejected by a girl he tried to kill himself.

"Alright, now a little something for you lovers out there" laughed Kamen as he changed CD. The music started as people found themselves as couples for the song. It wasn't a classic ballroom but it was fun nonetheless. Jack and Sally hadn't felt like this in years. It was just a pleasant feeling to be able to go out and dance, like a normal couple in love.

"_Lay down, sleep my little darling I'll be nothing when you're gone. Lay down just like in a coffin then I'll have nothing but a song. Could I leave you in a coffin for real and just leave you in a church?"_

_  
_Lock, Shock and Spectre looked around the club. All their friends seemed coupled together with someone else. Kamen and Malice had ducked down behind the speakers (so there weren't really any surprises what they were doing down there out of sight). Ethan was already with a ghoulish mermaid. But more surprisingly was Barrel.

"What the? I didn't know Barrel and Hayley were an item?" gasped Shock in utter horror

Lock slammed his fists on the table "This is ridiculous!"

Out of the trio, neither of them ever expected Barrel to get with anyone before Lock or Shock.

"This is bad, if anyone sees Barrel with someone and me alone it'll ruin me!" cried the devil

Shock shook her head in disbelief "Then dance with me you idiot. That way you won't be alone!"

"Dance with you? … why didn't I think of that before?" Lock's brain had melted into goo by now thanks to the alcohol "Wait, what about Spectre? He can't be alone"

"Fine, I'll fix this" growled Shock as she stormed off

"_Lay down. Leave you'll be lonely. I know I won't go. Lay down. Sleep you'll be lonely. I know I won't go. It's not my turn"_

_  
_Shadow looked up to see Shock stomping over to her. She readied the cocktail ingredients and said "A Bloody Massacre for you, Shock?"

"Nope, I need you to come with me for a moment. It won't take long" Shock grabbed her hand and dragged her over to the table. She shoved Shadow towards Spectre and growled "Alright Lock, he's not alone, let's go!"

"YAY!" cheered Lock as he ran after the witch to the dance floor.

Spectre helped Shadow up and said "Sorry, are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine" she replied "Don't know why they needed me here"

"Yeah well… they're kinda crazy I guess" Spectre's robotic limb suddenly powered down. It fell to the table with a heavy clunk. "Oh crap" he panicked as he started to take it apart.

"What's happened?"

"The battery died on me. I gotta replace it. It'll take a few seconds"

"You know you could avoid this problem by hooking the power cables into your spinal chord. That way your nerves power it for you"

"Hey yeah!" Spectre turned to the jester "Why did I never think of that?"

"I dunno, sometimes you need more than one mind to get the best result. Come into the kitchen and I'll fix your arm"

"_Lay down, this pain will be long gone with the absence of your breath. I know that you loved me but I can't love you when you're dead. So I'll leave you in that coffin for God and I'll leave you in the dirt"_

* * *

Harlequin puffed from his cigar. People weren't ordering any food so he had a break for now. The door of the kitchen swang open as Shadow and Spectre wandered in. He immediately said "You do realise a Root Room is still available"

"We're not doing that! I'm just fixing his arm" snapped Shadow

Spectre had already pried the power cables from his robotic arm. He looked to Shadow and asked "What now?"

"Take your shirt off"

"Huh?"

"So I can take a look at your spine"

"That makes sense" he replied as he pulled off his dark grey T-shirt. Shadow took hold of his cables and held a scalpel in her other hand. She quickly tied Spectre's hair up so it wouldn't fall on the incision.

Harlequin raised an eyebrow "You keep a scalpel on you?"

"They're actually very useful. Now Spectre just relax, this might sting a little but that's all" informed Shadow as she made an incision over the upper part of Spectre's back, right between his shoulder blades. After peeling back the layers of decaying flesh, she inserted the wires and carefully fitted them in between the cartilage of his vertebral column.

Shadow asked "Spectre, how you holding up?"

"Alright, kinda tingly" he replied "My arm still feels pretty good though"

"Harlequin, can you pass me that blowtorch over there?"

"Okie Dokie" chimed the demon as he grabbed the tool Shadow needed. Traditionally it was used in the kitchen to caramelise deserts.

Shadow lighted up the flame and applied it to Spectre's flesh. A sudden sensation of burning pain was felt by Spectre as the skin on his back melted into place.

"Can you move your hand?" asked Shadow

"Yes, perfectly" hissed Spectre as he wiggled his fingers and waved his mechanical arm "How did you know how to do that?"

"Common torture method, also can be applied to help people though"

"Oh yeah, I forgot you were a torturer"

"You don't seem too phased by that"

"Well, technically science is torture. I mean how many advances have been made, all of which are results of nightmarish procedures?"

"Yeah I know what you mean" she laughed.

Harlequin looked around the club at all the happy couples. Even if he would never fall in love or woo some gorgeous woman, he didn't feel jealous of others. Instead he just danced around thinking _'Love is in air!'_

* * *

The morning light spilled in through the hole in the curtain. Shock wearily opened her eyes as she found herself lying down in the tree house once more. However once she adjusted to her surroundings she realised something was horribly wrong. She was stark raving naked and lying in Lock's bed. To make matters worse, the devil was asleep next to her. _'Oh no… did we? But I never… Oh crap!'_ she silently got up and wandered out of the room. She scooped up some clothes and quickly slipped a shirt on. Luckily Lock was still asleep.

"Morning Shock" grinned Hayley

"What are you doing here!?" twitched Shock. She didn't expect to see Hayley standing in their kitchen area making coffee. "And why are you wearing Barrel's pants?"

"Am I?" she noticed her baggy yellow trousers had been replaced by Barrel's bone decaled pants. "Well, we got along really well last night and wandered back here afterwards" Hayley then winked at her "And why dear Shock, are you wearing Lock's shirt?"

"What?" Shock's face turned from her normal green complexion to bright red. She realised she was wearing one of Lock's red T-shirts. "Did you and Barrel hear… anything last night?"

"Well, there were the usual moans and groans. But we were kicking up a racket ourselves" Hayley walked past Shock with a smile "It's good to see you two together"

Shock shook her head in denial _'Me and Lock… No way! I was just doing him a favour last night!' _

She quickly locked the door of her bedroom. Shock crouched down, her body was actually trembling from the thought that had crossed her mind.

"It's been a while Shock" said a voice

"Boogie?" the witch looked around "Is that you?"

"Of course my child, it's your dear Aunty Boogie" smiled the boogiewoman as her shadow materialised before Shock "I must say you've blossomed nicely into womanhood"

"Yeah, well, now is not the best time for a reunion"

"Calm down, I merely came for business. Shock, how would you like to take Oogie's place?"

She made direct eye contact with Boogie "As what?"

"As the Crime Lord of the Gambling Ring, Oogie was a very important man in the underground scene. He was one of the five criminal lords of Halloweentown. Trouble is, he needs an heir. I've surveyed the town and I believe you are the best selection for the job"

"Really?"

"I'll leave you some time to think it over. We'll get in touch later on" said Boogie as she vanished

Shock growled "Now this is one fucked up morning after!"

* * *

_Lyrics from "Lay Down" by Priestess_


	26. Betrayal

Stitches scampered through the mountains of messy blueprints and plans. The doll jumped up onto the desk Harlequin was working at with a mug in its nob like hands. The demon smelt the coffee and then realised "Oh… is it morning already?"

"Yeah Harlequin" yawned Shadow as she walked in. She sat down on the couch and took a gulp from her coffee.

"I must say Stitches is really quite a good little doll. Is it a boy or a girl?" he smiled as he pet the strange living toy.

"I've no idea. But still, not bad for my first monster. Even if it is kinda cute"

"I heard from Mr Hyde you've been buying up quite a bit of flesh from Gil. May I inquire as to what you're making?"

"Nothing gets past Mr Hyde" laughed Shadow "Do you mind if we get a dog?"

"How big would it be?"

"About the size of a wolf hound"

Harlequin almost choked on his coffee. He quickly cleared his throat in a rasp "That big!?"

"Well, it's not really a proper dog… more like a cat wolf thingy. Relax I still need to finish its chest cavity before I bring it to life"

"I see… but it would be too large to keep here… I know, maybe Behemoth could take care of it. The briars go for miles; that oughta be plenty of space for it"

"Do you think he'd let me?"

"I don't see why not. By the way Shadow, do you know where Hayley went? I saw her leave after closing I just don't know where she went"

"She went off with Barrel. They probably did the horizontal monster mash too"

"Yeah, that's expected when they reach that age. So how bout you Shadow? You seemed quite taken by Spectre"

"Look we just talked a lot. He's actually helped me a lot in my own experiments. With his knowledge of metals I think I can actually finish my latest project"

"I noticed you did. But surely it wasn't all work. I saw the way you two broke into hysterics. You make an adorable couple"

"Harlequin, at my stage in life I do not want a proper relationship. It brings nothing but trouble"

"Well, if you need help with your love life… DON'T come to me"

"Then how did Hayley come into the world?"

"We were both drunk, she was a hot vampire, I was a slightly sexy monster. We fucked, we never saw each other again. Nine months later I open the door to find her with a baby. She just shoved it into my arms and walked away"

"Who was this vampire woman?"

"That's the bad part. I accidentally rooted the fiancé of Count Bloodrain. So technically… Hayley and Scarlet are half sisters"

"Does Hayley know this?"

"Yep, they both know about each other. But that's life, we move on and karma balances out again" Harlequin looked at Shadow sternly "Do you still desire to get revenge on Dr Finklestein?"

"Yeah, you think I'm letting that bastard get away with what he did to me? Even then he's a mediocre scientist. His experiments usually end up failing after a month or so. He's incompetent. However, he keeps exploiting loopholes so he can stay in power. The only thing he made that has had a lasting effect is this mystery invention that has been wiped from record!" Shadow's body was tense with anger. It was evident this subject made her blood boil.

"Wait… how do you know all this?"

"Malice has been checking out a few things at the archive and keeps telling me about it"

"You do realise Shadow, for every action is an equal reaction. Revenge is a tricky thing because it will never end. You will have to keep retaliating"

"Harlequin, don't worry about me. I already have everything planned. It's all a matter of time before I put it into play" she stood up "I'm going to the markets, you want anything?"

"No thankyou" he chirped as he went back to work.

"Can you watch Stitches for me? I don't think it's ready for social places yet"

"Yeah, no problem" The demon let out a sigh as he watched Shadow walk out. Stitches was perched on his shoulder staring eagerly at the blueprints. It was beyond Harlequin how that doll could see, it didn't even have real eyes. _'She's about to step in it… I can only see two outcomes to this mess. Either Dr Finklestein dies or she does'_

Harlequin had kept his eye on Shadow since she first arrived. It was obvious that despite her naïve ways there was something dark lurking beneath. It was this cruelty that hovered in her soul. Hearing she was a torturer only confirmed his suspicions. Harlequin knew she was perfectly capable of causing pain to anyone who crossed her.

* * *

"Morning Ethan" said Shadow as she noticed him at the markets "Were the fish biting today?"

"Yeah, the half moon always makes them a little crazy" laughed Ethan. He was just heading out of a store having sold his catch. They both had some free time so they walked the markets and talked.

Shadow winked to him "So who was that mermaid you were with last night, you sly dog?"

"Oh you mean Aqua, she's a friend of mine… I met her at work. She accidentally got tangled in one of my nets. Noticed you fixed Spectre's arm"

"Well, it had to be done"

"Funny, I thought you'd hate him given he's got the position you want"

"Let's just say now I've realised, I don't need Dr Finklestein. I can do this on my own. So I hold no grudges"

"I don't think you really hate anyone except the doctor. Not even Scarlet or Jason"

"What's the point in hating people randomly? They haven't really hurt me like that stupid doctor has"

"Fair enough, good to actually talk to someone mature. Honestly everyone else in the group wants to tear those two apart for being such snobs"

"What about you?"

"Well… I'll start worrying when Jack hands the throne to Jason"

"True, it's the end of the world when that happens"

"SHADOW NIGHTBANE!" snapped Jack's voice. Ethan and Shadow froze awkwardly. The howling boom of Jack's voice was enough to scare the crap out of you. They nervously turned to see Jack near a side street. He said "Shadow, I need you to come with me immediately"

"I guess I'll see you later Ethan" she replied as she walked off with Jack.

"Ethan! Ethan!" screeched Fang and Kamen as they sprinted towards their corpse friend. Kamen skidded to a halt and panted "Where's Shadow? We need to find her immediately"

"Jack just got her… why? What's going on?" Ethan replied, clearly confused

Fang blurted out "Scarlet and Jason were snooping around the briars. They found Shadow's lab! We came as fast as we could!"

"Great, if you were only a few seconds earlier you could've warned her"

"I hope she doesn't get into too much trouble" sighed Kamen "Stupid bastards, they just wanted to dig up any dirt on her!"

* * *

The town hall seemed stern and colder than usual as Shadow walked in with Jack. Jason, Scarlet, Malice and the Mayor were already there. The concerned expression on Malice's face instantly told Shadow this was a problematic meeting.

"There she is! She's a criminal!" announced Jason as he pointed to Shadow

The jester blinked and said "I'm sorry, but I have no idea what you're talking about"

"Scarlet and I were at the briars practising our magic. One of Scarlet's bat familiars wandered off and we naturally went after it"

"My bat retreated to a cave deep in the maze and guess what we found in that cave? An illegal laboratory that hadn't been finalised by any documentation" leered Scarlet, her bat perched on her shoulder like an obedient pet.

Their story sounded so innocent. Shadow could see that Jack and the Mayor was on their side. It was pointless to argue. She had to sacrifice her secondary laboratory.

"Shadow, is that laboratory yours?" asked the Mayor

She let out a defeated sigh "Yes, it is. In my spare time I dabble in the scientific arts"

"Honestly she does this out of spite. She can't believe Dr Finklestein didn't choose her as an apprentice" taunted Jason

Scarlet pouted "Shadow, that's a very horrible thing to do. How can you be so disrespectful of others?"

"You do realise we must confiscate and destroy everything in your lab" informed Jack

Shadow nodded "Yeah, that's fine. I understand what I've done is wrong. Is that all you want to see me about?"

"Yes, that's all"

"Then if you'll please excuse me. I actually have work to do" she said as she walked out. Malice quickly followed her.

Outside the Town Hall, Malice said "Shadow, I'm sorry. I hoped Kamen and Fang would find you before Jack would"

"It's alright, at least you were looking out for me" she replied calmly. It was peculiar how she seemed so calm about it all.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine Malice, just fine" Shadow walked off in a casual manner. A wicked smile cracked on her face as she thought _'Excellent, I'll let them think they've won this round'_

* * *

Dr Finklestein kept watching Spectre as he tweaked with the machinery. He couldn't help but notice the folds in his clothes around the back. It looked like there were wires running from his arm to the back of his shoulders. Spectre could feel the old man's eyes on him, he shivered at the thought this guy was a perverted weirdo. It was the perfect setting for this weirdness, lots of things to use for kinky fun, no one in the laboratory except the two of them.

"I see you've made a few changes to your arm. It doesn't need batteries anymore does it?" said Dr Finklestein

"No, a friend of mine hooked it up to my spine" replied Spectre as he fiddled with the buttons of his lab coat.

"May I ask who it was? They certainly appear skilled in the ways of surgery"

"It was Shadow, you know, that Joker girl Jason brought up at the meeting"

"I know very well who she is"

"She's amazing, she helped me better my understanding of bionics. I might even be able to create a hybrid robot thanks to her"

Dr Finklestein noticed the sparkle in his eyes as Spectre spoke of her. The doctor growled like a guard dog "Stay away from her"

"Why? I want to bring her here, she could really help us out"

"Just stay away from anarchist! She's bad news!"

Spectre paused, he turned around and asked "What did she do?"

Dr Finklestein grinned, he had fallen for it. The old duck mutant hid his joy as he coldly replied "Well, she was my apprentice for a little while. She learned what she could and then tossed me aside. She even crippled me in one of her experiments. Everything she made was an abomination to life, I had no other choice but to exterminate them. When she found out she even tried to kill me for it. But I had the upper hand with my robotic defences. Regardless, she left soon after and swore revenge on me. She's probably trying to use you to get to me"

"R… really?" said Spectre

"Yes, she's a half life. Those creatures know nothing. They're selfish monsters that just live for themselves. Give them a chance and they'd rip you to shreds. I even heard she wants to torture and sacrifice you to the Joker gods"

"WHAT!? How do you know this?"

"I have my sources. But that is why, you must stay away from Shadow. I don't want to see her hurt you like she hurt me"

"Why hasn't anyone told me this?"

"People seem to believe she is a kind person. But I know the truth, Jason knows the truth, Scarlet knows the truth. Right now, we're the only ones you can trust"

"Yes, but, shouldn't we tell everyone the truth?"

"No, it is not safe for us. For now we must resist that foul demon and stick together"

"Yes master, I understand"


	27. Tied Up

"Come on in" smiled Ethan as he led Aqua into his home. She was a terrifying mermaid with murky green hair and powder blue skin. Her torso was wrapped with pieces of dead aquatic plants and her long fish tail slithered on the ground like a snake. Her fins were tattered and torn like lace. But she looked beautiful to Ethan.

Aqua looked around the modest home. She asked "Nice place you got here, you really paid for it on your own"

"Yeah, I worked for years to get this place"

"I had a lot of fun tonight Ethan. Thankyou for taking me out"

"No problem, you want that coffee now? Harlequin just got it in from Brazil"

Ethan paused as he felt Aqua's moist scaled hand take hold of his. She winked mischievously as she smiled "I didn't come back for that kind of coffee"

"Really? Then what do you prefer? Latte? Cappuccino? Mocha?"

"I think you misunderstand me. Let me demonstrate what I want from you"

The mermaid dived forward and threw her arms around Ethan. She forcefully kissed him in the dark room.

"Oh! Now I get it!" said Ethan as he grinned at Aqua

"Hey Ethan" yawned Spectre as he walked past. The corpse and mermaid froze awkwardly as Spectre walked right past them and headed to the kitchen. "Man, I need coffee now" he grumbled.

Ethan said "Uh… Spectre, how bout you go out for the rest of the night?"

"I can't" said Spectre "I need to finish these blueprints for Dr Finklestein"

Ethan noticed the bags under his eyes, the weariness in his stance. It was evident he had been working himself to death (well, a second death).

Spectre finally noticed the mermaid on top of his cousin "Wait a minute… who's she?"

"I'm Aqua, you must be Spectre" she chirped happily

"Yeah, I am"

His cousin quickly explained "Spectre, how bout you go out or something? You've been working like this since Halloween ended and it's almost the end of November. You've stopped sleeping and even socialising with us. You need to take a break!"

"No, I can't"

"I'm sure one night won't hurt" growled Ethan as he kicked Spectre out. He turned back to his date with a smile "Now where were we?"

* * *

The moon hung above Spectre as he stumbled through the streets. His body was stiff from working over a desk for weeks on end. Dr Finklestein had demanded blueprints and designs from him; things that shouldn't be produced by an apprentice. But Spectre never doubted his master, he just kept following his orders like an obedient dog. His body kept moving slowly like a zombie as he fell half asleep.

"MR ROBOTO!" shouted a voice. The sudden tackle followed jolting Spectre from his half asleep state. He fell to the ground with a heavy thud as his ambusher sat on him.

"Hey Mr Roboto! Long time no see! How come you haven't been down to the club lately?"

"Get off me Lock" growled Spectre

"What's with you?" asked Lock as he stood up. He fixed up his messy hair delicately as he said "You sound like you haven't slept in a month"

The corpse stood up and straightened himself out "I haven't… This apprenticeship will be the death of me"

"But you're undead already"

"Well… what's the level beyond undead? Can someone be double dead?"

"I dunno"

"Wait, is Shadow with you?"

"No, she's out somewhere… I think. I dunno, the hideout is closed tonight for some reason so she ain't there. Why?"

"No reason"

Lock cracked a sly smile "You got the hots for her!"

"WHAT!? Ludicrous! I do not" snapped Spectre. He managed to contain his rage. How dare Lock say such a thing after Dr Finklestein told him all about her?

Lock put an arm around his half robotic friend "Whatever you say pal. Come on, you look like you need a stiff drink or two or twenty"

"I need to get back to work" protested Spectre

"That ain't possible. Not when Ethan and Aqua are at your place. I mean, they are a couple so give them some privacy"

"What? I had no idea!"

"That's because you've sealed yourself off from the world. Just come with me tonight and forget about all this science crap for now"

Spectre folded his arms and narrowed his eyes at the devil "Where shall we go then Lock?"

"I reckon we head to the hideout"

"Why? I thought you said it was closed"

"It's never closed to us. Not while we're in Harlequin's good books. Besides, the others will be there too"

* * *

Emily laughed wickedly as she watched the flickering images on the television. The sight of people screaming and freaking out over the ghost of a dead child was enough to make you cackle. They were all sitting around the main area of the hideout wrapped up in blankets in front of the TV. It was a spare one Harlequin kept in the back and had its own DVD player. The hideout may have been closed for tonight but that didn't mean they couldn't have a movie marathon.

"That was hilarious!" cackled Bonejangles as he helped himself to more fried beetles

Malice pouted "Honestly, the American remake of 'The Ring' does no justice to the original. Now that is a good movie"

"Yeah, but you're biased. You love Eastern horror films" reminded Kamen

"That's because they get it right!"

Fang fluttered over to the TV "So, what should we watch next?"

"How 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre'?" suggested Barrel

"Nah, I think you've overwatched that DVD" said Kamen as he adjusted his pimp hat

Emily found a series of movies behind the bar. She held them up and said "How bout these?"

"Saw one to four… I heard these were supposed to be good" nodded Fang

Barrel said with his mouth full of lollies "What're they about?"

"A serial killer who kills by testing people of their need to live. If they survive his torture then they're free to go. But most of them suffer horribly"

"So it's a comedy! Let's watch them!"

"Evening everybody" waved Lock as he waltzed in. Spectre shuffled in behind him. The devil grinned "So, is Shock here yet?"

"Nah, she said she had to clear some things up before coming here" informed Malice

Lock took a seat next to Barrel so he could be close to the TV. He asked out loud "So what are we watching?"

"We're having a Saw marathon" said Fang as he put the first movie of the series in the DVD player. He flew back to his spot and readied himself to see the film. He squabbled with Lock and Barrel over the candy supply. Malice cuddled Kamen as she curled up around him. But their sweet romance was disrupted as Fang crashed into them.

"What the hell was that for!?" growled the bat boy. He leapt up again, completely ignoring the fact he had just landed on top of two people.

Lock replied with his hands up "Calm down Barrel, there's no reason to go crazy on us"

"Look, no one touches my lollipop! I don't care if you're my friend but NO ONE touches the lollipop!" Barrel held his favourite treat in his hand tightly. He had always liked the black and orange lollipops only found in this town.

Malice snarled "Will you three shut the fuck up and watch the movie or am I gonna have to castrate you first!?"

The trio fell silent. You couldn't even hear them breathe. Kamen smiled as he wrapped an arm around Malice. He cooed "That's my girl"

"So where's Harlequin and Hayley? Why is this place closed tonight?" asked Spectre as he sat down near Emily and Bonejangles. He didn't want to sit with the others. They were a little too crazy tonight.

Emily replied "Harlequin's making a delivery from the human world. Except this time he wanted Hayley to go with him. So, we're closed for tonight. Hayley's grown up so fast, she'll be doing Harlequin's job in no time"

"So how ya been Spectre? We haven't seen ya round here lately" said Bonejangles

"Well… I've been busy. I haven't had time to have fun" he answered nervously

"You're really not looking too good either. You really need to relax. It's not healthy for anyone to work stressed all the time"

"How's your arm been since Shadow made the conversion?" asked Emily

Spectre looked to his robotic arm. He said "Yeah, at first it felt a little weird but my body's adjusted to it now"

"You're actually looking a little thin" the corpse woman stood up and ran off towards the kitchen "Don't worry! I'll make you something"

Spectre's protest was washed out by the hysterical laughter of his friends. Malice, Kamen, Fang, Lock and Barrel were cackling as they watched one of Jigsaw's victims crawl through a barb wire maze.

* * *

Scarlet's boudoir was always in immaculate gothic condition. It was so clean and always filled with the finest of jewels and clothes. It was like a princess lived here rather than a vampire countess. Shock paused as she heard footsteps echo in the hall outside. She silently moved out from the bedroom window and crouched down to the side of the window sill where she had hidden her broom (for a speedy getaway). The witch was hidden by the angle of the window frame and the elaborate stain glass patterns on them. Shock kept a keen eye on the room as she watched Scarlet enter. The moment the vampire steps out, Shock was going to swoop in and steal what she needed.

After pouring herself a glass of chilled blood, Scarlet took a seat in her armchair. She swirled the blood around the wide goblet before taking a swig. Staring at her self portrait she kept in a state of deep thought. _'Perfect, if all goes to plan we'll have Shadow out of here within the month'_ she smirked, she didn't know why. But Scarlet hated Shadow, ever since she laid eyes on the busty Joker she had loathed her very existence. The fact Shadow didn't seem to hate her back only made her angrier.

"Evening Scarlet, how's the blood?" said a familiar voice

Scarlet dropped her goblet as she turned around. Shadow was standing just behind her, looking down on the vampire.

"How… how did you get in here!?" snarled Scarlet as she stood up

"I'm a Joker, darkness is just a doorway to us"

"This is breaking and entering"

"I didn't break anything to get in here"

"You're still an intruder wideload!" Scarlet walked over to the door and tried to open it. She failed miserable. Even the key didn't work in the lock. Scarlet put a hand on the door, it was no longer real, it was fake just like a painting.

"No use trying to escape. I've sealed this room off so no one can interfere" Shadow placed her bag down and started to go through it.

Scarlet broke into a cold sweat as she saw Shadow unfurl a wrap of torture blades and implements. She stammered "I thought Jokers didn't hurt members of the Pumpkin nobility"

Shadow coldly stared at her and said "Since when were you a member of that group?"

"Please… don't kill me you sick half life"

"Why would I want to kill you?" smiled Shadow "I'm just here to give you a new perspective on life"

Shock panicked as she saw Shadow grab Scarlet and throw her down to the ground. The darkness of the vampire's room twisted and restrained Scarlet's limbs like vines. The witch wanted to flee, but at the same time, she couldn't turn away.

Scarlet screamed and writhed in agony as Shadow did her work. The jester didn't flinch or even seem to care that the vampire was trying to escape. She just kept running the scalpel down Scarlet's arm carefully in patterns. Having made enough cuts she readied a pair of forceps and pulled on the veins and arteries concealed beneath Scarlet's flesh. The vampire freaked as Shadow kept pulling them out, the circulatory organs hung limply from her arm as they came out into the surface. They bled red congealed goo as her heart kept beating wildly.

"My blood… why is my blood like this!?" she cried in agony. Her body was beginning to hurt more than before. Every heart beat made pain surge through her circulatory system.

"You think my species only knows how to torture humans?" Shadow smiled confidently as she kept cutting and removing veins and arteries from Scarlet's other arm and legs "I know a thing or two about vampires too. For one thing your kind can only drink only blood that is compatible with your own type"

Vampires were very similar to humans biologically. They still had the same blood patterns as their prey. Meaning that if a vampire drank the blood of someone who wasn't compatible with their blood type, their immune system would attack their circulatory system. Their blood would begin to coagulate as their body underwent a mass shut down. This effect is commonly seen in organ rejections and improper blood transfusions.

Scarlet lied helplessly on the ground as the dark shackles melted back into the floor. Shadow had torn out all the blood vessels on Scarlet's limbs, however, she still left them connected to her torso.

"Please… no more" begged Scarlet as Shadow turned her over onto her front. She tore off the vampire's clothes to reveal her naked back.

Shadow muttered as she traced along Scarlet's back "Paraplegic or quadriplegic? Decisions, decisions"

"What!?"

"After this, you're going to be nothing more than a mind trapped in a body. I'm going to watch happily as everything falls down around you"

Scarlet screamed as Shadow did the final act of her revenge of the vampire countess. Shock couldn't watch anymore. She mounted her broom and fled into the night.

The deed was done. Shadow confidently packed up her gear. Despite the blood smeared across the room Shadow's clothes were clean. The true test of a torturer was to do something like this and walk away like nothing had happened. She stopped the illusions as she melted into the shadows and vanished.

Mere seconds later, Jason opened the door of Scarlet's room. He had a bouquet of black roses in hand and a smile on his face. The young skeletal ragdoll screamed so loud it woke the dead. Scarlet was hanging from the chandelier and decorative statues of her room by her blood vessels. She was like a bloody puppet tangled up in its strings. She was stark raving naked, her arms and back were dripping gelatinous blood from the cuts across her body. A deep gash was on the side of her head. She looked down to Jason and said in a gargled scream "Help me…"


	28. OW MY EYE!

Shock walked into the hideout a little shaken and startled from what she had seen. Despite flying around for a while to ease her troubled mind; she couldn't forget what she had seen. She dumped her broom and bag on a nearby table and headed towards her friends. They were crowded around the television watching some movie about people being tortured. The woman on screen screamed as her rib cage was torn from her body, her hand was melted by acid.

"That was so cool!" cheered Barrel

Lock nodded "Yeah, Saw 3 is looking pretty good so far!"

Kamen said "There's no way the real Jigsaw would've done that though. He would've at least given her a chance to redeem herself"

"Shut up! Some people are trying to watch the movie!" snapped Fang

"Hey guys" said Shock as she sat down with Lock and Barrel. She immediately helped herself to the popcorn Emily had just made.

"Where ya been?" asked Lock

"Around the place"

"We're having a Saw a thon! We've already watched the first two, you're just in time for the third one"

"Yeah, sounds good" said Shock a little unenthusiastically. She had to admit, watching people get tortured in a movie and watching it in real life were two different experiences.

An hour or so later Shadow had returned from the surface. All of them were crowded around the screen as they watched the doctor operate on Jigsaw's head with a power drill in order to keep him alive. She sat down with her friends near the television and said "What're we watching?"

"Saw 3, it's pretty cool" replied Barrel

Lock added "You'd like these films, they're all about torturing people"

"The only human film I can remember seeing that was any good was this one called Se7en" said Shadow in a scathing tone.

"Yeah, but these are pretty cool. What do think of this torture trail? Is it any good?" asked Malice out of curiosity. Shadow was the only real torturer she knew so she wanted the opinion of someone who knew what they were doing.

"Quite amateurish" said Shadow as she watched the film "But he intends for these victims to live even if they mostly die. Still, not bad for a human. However, I'm still an amateur of my clan. I'm not like any of the greats"

"Do any of the Jokers rape their victims?" asked Kamen. He noticed the strange stares from his friends. The mummy replied "Oh come on, I bet you were all thinking about it too!"

"Well… sometimes they do. Usually males because it's easier to stick a penis in an opening than it is to stick an appendage in a vagina"

"EW!" squealed all her friends.

"But relax, that ain't my style" laughed Shadow "I'm more traditional and I tend to exploit the biological traits of humans"

The door suddenly opened and slammed shut. They noticed Spectre was missing from their group.

"Where'd Spectre go?" asked Fang "I thought he liked these movies"

Barrel nodded "I know, that's really weird"

"Maybe Shadow freaked him out" suggested Kamen

"Or maybe you did with your rape question" teased Emily

Bonejangles said "Shadow, why don't ya go talk to Spectre?"

"Yeah, go get him!" added Lock with a devilish grin

"Fine, I'll go tell him to stop being a baby" laughed Shadow as she followed after him.

* * *

Spectre stopped running as he made it to the surface. His decomposing heart was beating wildly in his chest. He tried staying in the same room as Shadow but his mind couldn't forget what Dr Finklestein had told him. He couldn't ignore what she had done.

"Hey Spectre. Sorry I freaked you out before" said Shadow, she had caught up to him and was standing in the back alley with him.

"What?" he muttered

"I'm apologising… I don't know why though. Anyway, how have you been? We haven't spoken in weeks. I haven't even seen you at the hideout or at the market either. Are you alright?"

"I know what you're doing you whore"

"I beg your pardon?"

"I know you just want to sacrifice me to your evil gods. I'm not playing along to you anymore you monster! I know what you've done to Dr Finklestein! I know you've fooled everyone in this town into believing you're innocent!"

"But I haven't done anything to him!? Have you confirmed these wild rumours with anyone else!?"

"I can't trust anyone except Jason, Scarlet and the doctor! You've got everyone else wrapped around your little finger!"

Shadow made a fist and raised it. She punched Spectre in his right eye (the one that still had an eyelid and eyebrow to bruise) with a vicious left hook. Spectre stumbled a little, the shock of the attack caught him off guard.

"You wanker" Shadow gritted through her teeth "What kind of idiot doesn't double check their information!? You'll never make it as a scientist!"

She spat on him as she stormed off. Shadow was fuming, she couldn't believe his stupidity. Spectre walked off as he wiped the spit from his face. _'Damn… I never knew she was that strong'_ he thought as he nursed his eye.

* * *

Jason and the Count and Countess Bloodrain looked down over Scarlet. The vampire was lying in a bed at Dr Finklestein's tower as she received treatment. After hours of agonising surgery her veins and arteries were reset in her flesh where they belonged and her blood had been thinned back to normal levels.

The doctor went to their side and said "I'm sorry, but while performing the surgery I found something wrong with her. Scarlet is a quadriplegic now… she'll never walk again"

"What happened to her!?" wailed her mother. She was beautiful noblewoman with silky black hair. Her perfect figure was framed beautifully by her slim black and red dress.

"One of the vertebrae near the top of her spine is missing. It's been completely removed" said the doctor "If I had it I could easily slip it back in but for now… I'm afraid she's just going to have to deal with it"

"I see… we'll help her. I'll care for her if I have to"

"Scarlet, who did this to you?" asked her father, a handsome vampire count with silver blonde hair.

"I… I can't remember. Everything's a blur" she replied nervously. Little did anyone realise but Shadow had toyed the memory centres of her brain. She made Scarlet completely forget the incident.

"I guess we'll never know then. But I assure you Scarlet, we'll care for you now. We'll pay more attention to you. It doesn't matter to us if you can't walk. You're still our daughter" said her mother

"Then why don't you care for my half sister?"

"What?"

"You heard me mother"

"You're delirious from the attack. But it doesn't matter. You're still alive"

"Mother, father… I want to see my half sister. I want to see Hayley… please get her for me"

Scarlet watched her parents leave to accommodate her wishes. Jason turned to the doctor "Can you please leave me and Scarlet alone?"

Dr Finklestein left the two lovebirds alone in the chamber and closed the door. Scarlet said to Jason "I'm so sorry to let you down… but I'm sure we'll get through this together"

"Together? No, not happening" said Jason as he shook his head

"What?"

"You heard me Scarlet, we're through. Goodbye, I hope you find a boyfriend with a fetish for quadriplegic chicks"

Scarlet didn't know how to react as Jason walked out on her. Sure he had just broken it off with her, but Jason was storming off to go after the only person capable of this, Shadow.

Jewel cringed as the door slammed shut. Jason had no manners whatsoever. She heard another door open softly as Spectre walked in, ready to begin his shift for another day. Jewel immediately went to his side "Spectre, what happened to your eye?"

"Huh?" Spectre had kept ice on it all night but it still didn't go down. He couldn't hide the black eye Shadow had given him. He said sheepishly "I fell asleep at my desk and ended up smashing my face on the wood"

"Come this way and I'll patch you up a little better" said Jewel as she led him towards the medical cabinet _'Poor child, I better talk to Finky about giving him a lighter load of work'_


	29. Prove it!

"You're joking, aren't ya?" said Shadow as she sat on her bed. Stitches was dancing around on the floor nearby. Hayley stood in front of her with a wide grin on her face. After the previous night she had magnificent news to tell her friend.

"Nope, Dad wants me to take over his work for sure" she smiled "I can't believe it. Wait until I tell Barrel. He'll be so happy"

"So, you and Barrel are really a couple now?"

"Well, yeah, we just haven't broken it to Lock and Shock yet" Hayley went quiet as she sighed "I… I'm sorry about what Scarlet and Jason did to your lab"

"Why are you apologising?"

"Because she's my half sister. I have to hold some responsibility… even if I despise her"

"Don't feel bad, it's just a lab. These things can be replaced"

"You're right. Oh well that's life" Hayley chirped as she rummaged through her backpack "By the way I got you a present from the surface. The moment I saw it I thought of you"

Shadow sheepishly looked at her curled shoes "You didn't have to get me anything"

"But it seems so appropriate. Now you can look sexy when you torture people" smiled the demonette as she held up her gift. Shadow widened her eyes in confusion at the strange outfit. It consisted of a corset, fishnet stockings and other skimpy pieces of studded and spiked black leather.

"What the hell is this thing?" said Shadow

"It's a uh… what did that girl at the sex shop say… oh yeah. It's a dominatrix outfit! Apparently humans torture each other for sexual pleasure, it's called bondage, I think"

"Um… thankyou?"

"It comes with a whip too!" said Hayley "I hope I got the right size, you're about a size 18 right?"

"16-18, depends on the cut of the clothes"

"Cool, I got it right"

"I didn't realise you had this image of me"

"Well, I thought it suited you"

A knock echoed at the door. Harlequin called from behind it "Hayley, can you please come into the main room for a moment? I need to speak with you"

"Alright Dad" said Hayley as she stood up. She turned to Shadow "I'll tell you more about the human world later"

"Alright" smiled Shadow. She noticed Stitches toying with a jar in the corner of her eye. Luckily Hayley had left the room and completely missed the sight of the strange doll playing with a jar containing a vertebra. _'I better go out for a while. Harlequin sounded pretty serious'_ thought Shadow as she melted into the darkness of her room. To a Joker, a shadow was merely a doorway to go through.

Hayley was surprised as she came downstairs. She recognised the vampire noblewoman as Countess Bloodrain, Scarlet's mother. She was sitting on a couch waiting for the demonette. Hayley always knew this was her birth mother, but she never actually spoke to her.

"Hayley, your mum wants to tell you something" said Harlequin

"I know we haven't talked before" said the vampire "But I've come on behalf of Scarlet. You see… she was attacked last night. She's quadriplegic now and in need of support"

"Well, what does that have to do with me?" asked Hayley. She kept tapping her lead pipe against the wall impatiently.

"Scarlet wants to see you. Please, I know you two despise each other, but can you at least see her? She's still at Dr Finklestein's tower"

Hayley nodded "Alright, if that's what she wants. I'll go now" she left the house and wandered out into the streets.

Countess Bloodrain smiled at Harlequin "She's really become a fine woman"

"Yeah, not that you really cared" scoffed the demon

"Harlequin, I'm sorry about what happened all those years ago. I just… I was so young and I didn't know what to do"

"I'm fine with it, couldn't bear the thought of knowing Hayley might've ended up like Scarlet"

"You bastard!"

"Spoilt bitch!"

"I am leaving!" growled the countess as she stormed out. It was beyond her how she even let a man like Harlequin get anywhere near her.

* * *

"NO WAY!" exclaimed Lock, Shock and Barrel. The trio were hanging out at Hemlock Homestead with their other friends as Malice came to them with the news. They had just heard of Scarlet's injury and condition. Barrel immediately panicked as he thought _'How is Hayley gonna take this?'_

"Who would do such a thing?" said Ethan

Kamen reminded "Fair enough we hated her, but we'd never hurt her like that"

"I'm not suggesting you guys had anything to do with it" assured Malice as she calmed her friends "I'm just letting you know what's going on"

Lock then pondered "How do you know this anyway?"

"I heard my dad and Jack talking about it"

"What exactly happened to her anyway?"

"Not sure of the details, but apparently Scarlet was found hanging by her blood vessels from her ceiling"

"That's crazy, how the hell could anyone do that without people outside noticing?" declared Fang

A figure then emerged from a shadow nearby. The Joker materialised near them and waved "Hey guys, what's going on?"

"Haven't you heard?" asked Shock

Shadow raised an eyebrow in curiosity "Heard what?"

Lock said "Scarlet's a quadriplegic now. She was attacked last night"

"Yeah, right"

"I'm not being sarcastic"

"No, I'm not being sarcastic. It's just slang"

"Oh yeah" Shock was confused at times when Shadow talked. The Joker sometimes used strange colloquialisms that weren't commonly heard in Halloweentown.

Barrel shyly questioned "How's Hayley? Is she alright?"

"I dunno, last I heard she had to talk with Harlequin" informed Shadow

"YOU!" snarled Jason as he came stomping down the backstreet. He pointed and glared at Shadow "I knew you were a monster! I knew it!"

"Well duh" snapped Malice "This IS Halloweentown you fucking moron"

Kamen wrapped an arm around her delicately "Malice, calm down. There's no need to start swearing now"

"Okay" she smiled back at him

"What do you mean Jason?" said Shadow. She met his gaze, her eyes remained cold and emotionless. She didn't give anything away to him.

"You did that to Scarlet! You tortured her and left her for dead!"

"Really?"

"Yes, I know it was you! Who else would be so cruel!?"

"I see… prove it"

The Pumpkin Prince stopped ranting and said with a dumbstruck face "What?"

"You heard me, prove it. In order for your accusations to be true you need evidence"

"But I know it was you!"

"Prove it"

A fuse must've snapped in Jason's brain as he started screaming some gibberish. Regardless it sounded angry and was probably comprised of many swears and curses. He just stormed off in a storm of fury and anger. Everyone was slightly confused and concerned by this. All except Shadow, she just stood there with a smug grin on her face.

* * *

The door of Scarlet's medical room opened as Jewel walked in. Scarlet couldn't sit up or even wave to the doctor's wife. It was a terrible feeling, she hated being bedridden like this. The kind old woman warmly smiled and said "Are you alright for another visitor today?"

"Who is it?" she asked nervously

"Hayley has come to see you"

Scarlet's eyes lighted up "Really?"

"Do you want me to send her in?"

"Yes please"

Jewel walked out with a smile. Although what happened to Scarlet was horrible maybe it was for the better. The young countess was already becoming kinder and more compassionate now.

Hayley walked in nervously. She didn't quite expect to see her half sister like this. There were so many bandages around her body. It wasn't normal. Scarlet looked to her with a tear in her eye. She muttered "Sister…"

"Mum came to my Dad's house" said Hayley as she stepped forward "She said you wanted to see me"

"Yes, I wanted to ask for your forgiveness"

"What?"

"I realise now, I had this coming. I have been so mean to people for no apparent reason. It was about time someone slapped me in the face and actually punished me. It's time I stopped acting like a spoilt brat and actually thought about maturing"

"Whoa calm down. You're still a teenager, you shouldn't be talking like this. You're not dying are ya?"

"No, I just want to make things right. I mean, we're half sisters. We should try to get along because that is the right thing to do. I know we haven't gotten along in the past but… I just really want you to forgive me for my rudeness" Scarlet kept crying "Please, I need your support as a sister"

Hayley stared coldly at Scarlet as tears rolled down her cheeks. The vampire couldn't believe it, she couldn't even raise a hand to wipe away a tear. She turned her head away from Hayley to try to not let the demonette see her this way. She expected Hayley to attack her and storm out, just as Jason did.

Scarlet felt a hand caress her cheek timidly as three long fingers wiped her tears away. She looked up to Hayley stunned. Scarlet didn't know what to say. The demonette spoke instead "I accept your apology and yes, I will help you get through this. But you have to promise me that you'll do the right thing"

"Yes, I promise Hayley"

The two half sisters smiled at each other. This was the beginning of something new for both of them.

* * *

The wind blew past her hair making it flail wildly like small black snakes. Shock hugged her chest to keep warm as she walked through the cemetery in the dead of night. She looked up at the moon and saw the shadow rise up on it.

"Boogie, I need to speak with you" said the witch in a calm, cold voice.

The boogiewoman materialised before her with a smiled on her burlap face. She folded her arms and said "Thought about my proposition, aye?"

"Yeah, and I realise now that I need a future" informed Shock "And being a thief isn't a real option. So yes, I will take Oogie's place"

"Excellent, of course you do realise that as the gambling crime lord you're just stealing on a bigger scale"

"Well the morals and sins of taking has never been something I concern myself with"

"So I noticed"

"What do I do now?"

"Well, first you need to get the casino cleaned up and working again. You'll need someone good with mechanics to get everything up to scratch"

"Spectre's good at all that robotic crap. I'll just make him fix it"

"But before that you actually need to CLEAN the area"

"Damn it, well, I'll just get Lock and Barrel to do that"

"Once everything is cleaned up, I'll step in and show you the ropes. I'll teach you everything you need to know Shock"

"Alright Boogie, you got yourself a deal" Shock grinned as she shook the boogiewoman's hand.

* * *

A pin prick of electricity jolted him awake. Spectre cracked his spine back in place as he adjusted to his surroundings. The wind howled outside as he sat in Dr Finklestein's laboratory. He was in front of one of the main generators for the lightning machine making a few adjustments and repairs (just as the doctor ordered him). Around Spectre's fleshy wrist was a device he had made to keep him awake, it was a small metal bracelet that shocked him whenever he fell asleep. It was godsend for him seeing as he kept drifting off during his working hours. It was simply in his nature to keep working despite what his body told him.

"Spectre" said Jewel as she walked in "Spectre, you need to stop working now. It's very late and you should be out socialising with people"

"But Dr Finklestein said he wanted me to reprogram the generators" yawned Spectre "I can't leave now"

"Then at least have a break. I even brought you some stew" Jewel placed the deep bowl on a nearby workbench

"You don't have to worry about me like that"

"It's no trouble at all, I usually make a large amount of my Nightcrawler stew anyway. Lasts for months and always good to have as leftovers" she turned away from him and said as she left "I'll just leave it here in case you change your mind"

"Thankyou Jewel" said Spectre. He didn't turn from his work.

But soon enough the smell of the cooked Nightcrawlers was too tempting to ignore. Spectre turned from the machine and looked at the bowl. He laughed "No way, I gotta keep working on this" but his stomach protested as it gurgled loudly

"I am not having an argument with you again" growled Spectre as he kept toying with the machinery. Again his stomach growled like it had a mind of its own. He snarled to himself "Fine you stupid body I'll feed you" as he took the bowl and started devouring the stew. Seeing as he was undead he didn't have to worry about choking allowing him to just scoff the food down.

"Alright! Happy now!" snapped Spectre as he looked at his body. He stormed back to his place and commenced working again. It was short lived though as he face planted it to the ground and started snoring. Not even his wrist shocker could awaken him.

Dr Finklestein drove his wheelchair into the laboratory as Jewel spoke with him "I just think you need to give him more time off. He might have a robotic arm but he's still a corpse who needs to rest just like you"

"But he hasn't complained to me once" lied the doctor. Spectre said every so often that he was tired, it's just Dr Finklestein chose to ignore him.

"Everyone has their limits Finky and you need to start giving him days off. He's only an apprentice"

"What the? Spectre! Wake up you lazy hobo!" exclaimed Dr Finklestein as he noticed his apprentice asleep on the floor.

"This is what I mean, you have to give him time off"

The doctor snapped "Alright fine! Igor!"

"Yes master?" asked the hunchback as he walked in

"Get Spectre to his house and tell his cousin not to let him return here until he's refreshed" ordered Dr Finklestein.

Jewel left the laboratory with the empty bowl, a smile on her face as her plan had worked. She had actually slipped Deadly Nightshade into Spectre's food so he'd fall asleep and remain asleep instead of being awakened by that silly bracelet. With the right combination of herbs you could easily mask the stench of Deadly Nightshade without Frog's Breath so Spectre would never even know he tasted the foul, congealed plant. Jewel was quite pleased with herself. She might only have half of a brain but she was no idiot.


	30. Gift Giving

Spirits were high in Halloweentown. They always were at this time of the year. Christmas always meant they'd get to enjoy the wonders of snow. With the magical night only a few days away the town was buzzing with excitement. Scarlet glanced out the window of her bedroom. Ever since the accident had happened, her magic was improving. By manipulating her bat familiars she didn't need as many helpers to tend to daily routines. Still she did enjoy visits from others. Over the past few weeks she had grown to appreciate having Hayley as a sister.

"Tell me about this guy you like" cooed Scarlet

Hayley turned wildly and stammered "What do you mean? What guy?"

"Come on Hayley, you can't hide these things from me. I can see you're in love, you've been sighing ever so sweetly"

"Well… there is a guy. He works at the hideout with me. I've known him since he started working, when we were both teenagers"

"I doubt it would be Kamen because he's with Malice now. So… is it Barrel?"

"I'm surprised you know who he is"

"I may have acted coldly to you all. But I'm not an idiot. I know many things about you already"

"That's kinda creepy… Scarlet, you're creepy" said Hayley. The demonette then queried "What exactly is going on between you and Jason anyway? What the hell do you see in that scumbag?"

"He may have acted like a jerk to you. But… he treated me like a real lady. He was so kind and compassionate to me. A true gentleman… however, he never seemed to convey such feelings towards others apart from me. He always told me people faked friendships with him to get in the favour of the Pumpkin Monarchy"

"Guess I was wrong" nodded Hayley wisely "So has Jason visited you since the accident?"

"No… he… um…" Scarlet choked up as she admitted "When he found out I was a quadriplegic he… he broke up with me"

Hayley's eyes widened. She tilted her head as her right eye twitched. Scarlet could see the rage growing exponentially in her older sister. The young vampire quickly said "Please, don't do anything bad to him"

"Why the hell not? He hurt you" Hayley's voice was cold but dripped with anger.

"Please Hayley, promise me you won't do anything horrible to him"

"Very well sis, I promise. I have to go now, I have work to do. See you tomorrow?"

"Yes, I'd really appreciate that"

Hayley left Scarlet's manor a bit confused. She had always perceived Scarlet to be in good mental health. But now she truly saw why the countess was so cruel and bitchy to everyone. Scarlet was lonely, possibly like Jason. It was no wonder those two became a couple, they were kindred spirits.

* * *

Shadow kept sweeping the dining area as Kamen sorted out the DJ station. Bonejangles was behind the bar tidying up the liquors for tonight. Upon Emily's request, Harlequin gave the nudist skeleton a job seeing as he was going to be staying in town for a while. Bonejangles had become accustomed to this lifestyle and it was always good to be with Emily too.

"BONEJANGLES!" suddenly screamed Emily as she dived behind him.

Barrel screeched "HOLY SHIT" as he tripped out of kitchen door and fell flat on his face.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" said Shadow as she helped Barrel up

Kamen asked "Yeah, is the kitchen on fire?"

"No, there's a guy in the kitchen!" Barrel frantically waved his arms in the air "This guy just came out of the wall!"

"Excuse me?" asked a polite voice. The kitchen door was open and a stranger was at the doorway. He had deathly pale skin, shaggy black hair and green eyes. Bellow each of his eyes was a green marking that rolled down his cheeks. He was wearing a harlequin coloured tunic and long black pants. On the back of each of his hands was a green swirl marking. A pair of pointed shoes covered his feet and a ragged old jester hat sat on his head. "Is this the Harlequin Hideout?"

"Yeah, but don't come any closer!" snapped Barrel as he grabbed the broom from Shadow and pointed it at the stranger like a weapon.

"Hey Sister Shadow"

"Hi Brother Dark" she replied

Emily said from behind the bar "Wait, you know each other?"

"Yeah, we grew up in the same household" informed Dark

Barrel queried "Wait, are you two siblings? You called him brother"

"That's how we address each other" replied Shadow "Jokers are very communal beings. Everyone is our family regardless of birth parents"

"You know that's kinda like incest"

"Yeah, so is the whole reproductive act. All living things descended from the same common ancestor so isn't life just one big incestuous experience"

"Eww… don't tell me that!"

Dark scratched his head in confusion "Am I interrupting something here?"

"No, not at all" said Shadow "Do you have the package for me?"

"Yes I do. I got everything you asked for. Where would you like me to put it?"

"In my room thanks" said Shadow as she and Dark walked through a silhouette on the well like it was a doorway.

"That was weird" commented Kamen

Barrel pondered "A package? I wonder what it is"

"Barrel, that package has nothing to do with us so stay out of it"

* * *

It was the night before Christmas as the monsters went to the Fountain Square. Soon enough the snow would fall and all would be well. However before that time Shadow had a special presentation for her friends. They all sat around the hideout with a sense of curiosity.

"So what's going on Shadow?" asked Harlequin. He was eager to get to the annual meeting between the crime lords.

"I just wanted to give you all presents for Christmas. However because my budgets a little small I got into contact with my friends in Sleepy Hollow. So I got you all these nice gifts" smiled Shadow. She handed out various wrapped up bundles. "Merry Christmas"

Emily looked upon the strange pendant she had received. The chain was made of differently shaped white beads. The main stone looked like an eye staring at her as it sat in a frame of black wire. Bonejangles and Harlequin were admiring the bottles of red wine and the fine ivory goblets. Hayley struck a pose in her new patchwork coat lined with brown fur, the stiches were lined with a hint of crimson and the main fabric was a tan colour. Shock and Malice admired the jacket and dress they had been given. They were made from the same strange fabrics except Shock's dress was a darker tone and Malice's jacket was lighter.

"This is so comfy! What is this fabric!?" squealed Hayley with glee

"Its human skin and it's lined with hair" answered Shadow. She announced to everyone "All this stuff is made from human remains"

Emily stared at her gift "Then this really nice jewellery set is..."

"The white parts are teeth and the actual jewel is a preserved iris from an eye" informed Shadow

Fang stopped sculling from his bottle "And the wine?"

"Fermented blood"

"The goblets and the handles of our new knives?" asked Lock as he exchanged glances with Ethan, Barrel, Harlequin and Bonejangles.

"The bones"

Kamen inquired as he put his new bling around his neck "So Shadow, you mean everything you're wearing right now came from a human?"

"Kinda, I stole the jeans from a human. Jokers salvage everything we can get from their carcasses including clothes. My hat's actually dyed with deoxygenated blood. We usually eat the organs and such. But things like skin, bones and hair can't really be digested so we turn them into things we can use. You cannot believe how hard it was to get my hands on those skin clothes" Shadow nervously explained the detail. But she could still sense uneasiness in the air.

"Well, I still love it. This coat rules!" cheered Hayley

"Yeah, these knives are great" laughed Barrel. Now he actually had something sharp. All the knives at the tree house were rusted with age.

"Thankyou very much for the gift, but I have to go now. I'll see you all later" called Harlequin as he left with his present.

Fang then remembered "Hey yeah! The snow's gonna fall soon!"

"We better get going" said Kamen as he led the way. Emily and Bonejangles remained behind.

The skeleton asked "Aren't you going up Emily?"

"Yeah, just trying to get the clasp on this done up" answered the corpse beauty. Her blue hair waved around her face as her hands fiddled with the necklace.

"Let me help you" Bonejangles moved behind her and gently locked the necklace in place.

"Thankyou" Emily smiled sweetly to him. She leant forward and kissed him passionately. It felt weird to attempt a French kiss with someone who doesn't have a real tongue. Embarrassed, Emily quickly pulled away and ran off. Bonejangles thought _'What a woman'_

* * *

The snow fell to Halloweentown like a gently sprinkle of white flour. Tradition followed as all the monsters played in the streets and admired the natural splendour of this winter phenomenon. A few youths of the town started playing ice hockey on the frozen lake. Hayley and Shadow watched from the sidelines, mainly because neither of them knew how to skate. But it didn't matter they still laughed and enjoyed watching as Lock, Shock, Barrel, Ethan, Fang and Kamen played against the other vampires, witches, warlocks and werewolves.

"I think this is the first time I've ever seen Kamen without his pimp gear" laughed Shadow

Malice walked over to them wearing Kamen's coat and hat. She chimed "Hey girls" as she sat down with them.

"Hi Malice" smiled Hayley as she wrapped her human skin coat around her "How come you're not playing?"

"I never liked ice skating. Always scared I was going to fall beneath the surface of the ice"

"Wow, I had no idea"

"Oh, before I forget, Shadow, thankyou so much for the jacket"

"No problem" smiled the Joker with a lopsided grin "I hope you guys realise human skin is the true sign of Joker aristocracy"

"Really? Then again, we don't know much about Jokers. All the documentation of your clan is sketchy and in very poor detail. I still can't seem to locate why Jokers vanished though" In her spare time, Malice had been researching the archives for information about the mysterious half-lives.

"Oh well, maybe some things are better left unsaid"

Hayley scanned the area with a vigilant eye "Hey, where's Spectre? I can't see him anywhere"

"Probably sleeping" laughed Malice "Stupid Finky-poo finally gave him a week off. Ethan's told me he's done nothing but sleep. So how's life going for you two?"

Shadow shrugged her shoulders. She casually replied "Can't complain, I'm still alive… kinda"

"I've really gotten to know Scarlet since the accident. She's really a nice person" Hayley smiled as she reminisced "She no longer has permanent PMS. Still…"

"Still what?" asked Malice

"I would do anything to let her walk again; even if she only gains control of half her body… I just want her to be more dependant instead of lying in a bed all the time"

Shadow paused as she continued to watch the hockey game with vacant eyes. She thought deeply to herself as Malice and Hayley continued talking about humorous events that had happened. The Joker knew she had a job to do tonight.

Deep bellow the surface of Halloweentown and hidden from the snow. The crime lords of Halloweentown were congregating once more. Mr Hyde, Maul, Harlequin and Behemoth came together with Boogie to discuss matters.

"Wait, who's she?" asked Behemoth as he gestured to the partly invisible woman behind Boogie.

The poltergeist bowed "My name is Lady. I'm one of Boogie's associates. I've been helping her scout out an heir for Oogie"

"And have you found one?"

"I have actually, Shock" smiled Boogie "She's an ideal candidate for the position and best of all. She won't become obsessed with overthrowing Jack"

"Oogie's little henchwitch all grown up. She would be familiar of his duties having seen and possibly experienced them firsthand" nodded Mr Hyde

Lady gestured to Mr Hyde, Maul and Behemoth "So how bout the rest of you? Found heirs yet?"

"I've approached Shadow about it. But she's thinking it over" informed Maul

Mr Hyde answered "I need more time"

"I haven't found one either" said Behemoth

"Useless, you're all useless" scoffed Boogie

Harlequin quickly got out the goblets and fermented blood he had received from Shadow. He quickly diffused the situation as he cheered "Come now, let's drink to the future of Oogie's legacy!"

"Here! Here!" cackled Lady

The snow kept falling as monsters howled with happiness outside. Scarlet was lying upon her bed in the silence of her room. She had never felt so isolated before. Outside there was all this wonder and excitement happening and yet, she couldn't join in. Scarlet closed her eyes and let out a soft sigh. A slight tear rolled down her cheek.

She heard something click in the room. Scarlet quickly looked around, her vampire senses allowed her to see all. There was a present sitting on the edge of her bed but there was no one around. Focusing her mind she called her loyal bat familiars to her side. They picked up the package and quickly opened it, producing a card. Within the box were four jars; one containing a vertebra and the other three held unborn human foetuses. The card read:

_In this box are the ingredients to return feeling to your body. Not complete feeling but some. The vertebra is the one missing from your back. The foetuses give you a supply of stem cells so your body can regrow the missing nerves and cartilage._

_Merry Christmas_

* * *

Late that night Shadow walked the streets. She passed a familiar face on her way. Spectre was heading back towards his house. He said nothing but glared at her with the hatred of the demons of hell. Shadow kept walking as she thought _'He still hates me…'_

The door of Harlequin's home creaked open as Shadow walked in from the snow. Hayley was spending the night at Barrel's home so she wasn't coming back tonight. She dragged her feet as Shadow walked through the main room. She just wanted to go to bed.

"I know what you did" said a cold voice. It had come from behind a mound of blueprints. Harlequin emerged from them and stared at her with emotionless eyes.

Shadow asked "What did I do?"

"You're the one who mutilated Scarlet"

"Oh crap… how did you know?" Shadow panicked as her eyes widened with fear.

"I found Stitches playing with a certain jar. Contained in it was a vertebra"

The Joker bluntly admitted "Alright, I did do it. I just wanted to teach her a lesson… that's all"

But Shadow was cut off as Harlequin wrapped his arms around her. He whispered "Thankyou, because of this incident, Hayley and Scarlet are finally getting along. Also, I need to thank you in advance, you didn't have to give Scarlet the gift you gave her"

"Well, if it can help her, then why not? She's changed for the better and there's no going back for her now"


	31. I hate hippees

When Scarlet awoke from surgery she felt odd. There was a sense of feeling back in her torso. It was so peculiar to her given she had been quadriplegic for months until now. Lying upon a bed at Dr Finklestein's tower, she managed to sit herself up on her own for the first time in a while. Scarlet smiled to herself "I can move my arms again… the surgery worked"

"Ah, Scarlet, how do you feel now?" asked Dr Finklestein as he rolled in. Scarlet's parents walked in after him with hopeful eyes.

"I'm fine, my legs are still numb… but my upper body is fine"

"It's a miracle you pulled through it all. Then again, you did trust the best with this duty"

Dr Finklestein lapped up the praises as the vampires rejoiced for his scientific brilliance. However, down in the private chambers of the tower a different side of the story unfolded. Igor kicked the mop and bucket in annoyance as he stomped around the kitchen.

"Why they praise metal domed moron!? Igor was one who fixed Scarlet! Igor worked machines! Igor did surgery! All master did was watch and yell at me!"

"Igor, calm down. Working yourself into a rage doesn't help anyone" sighed Jewel as she continued cooking over the stove. "At least you get to work in the lab"

"Why Jewel sad?"

"Well… I have half of his brain. I'm just as smart as he is… yet Finky never listens to my advice on his experiments. He won't even let me go into the lab when he's working"

"Master not deserve Jewel"

"Igor, shut up. Someone's coming" growled Jewel as she heard the door open. Spectre yawned as he stumbled in from the Acid Works. He was holding jars of toads in his hands.

Igor said "What those for?"

"Dr Finklestein wanted me to catch poisonous toads for him. Too bad he keeps all his damn amphibians in the same captivity!"

"Why master want toads?"

"I've no idea, but I gotta get back up there before he yells at me"

"The venom of those toads are enough to paralyse anything into a comatose state" Jewel pondered "What the hell is Finky doing?"

* * *

Noon was always a nice time to go out. The morning markets were calming down and people were running off to their jobs after a lunch break. The town was actually a little peaceful. Shock and Hayley sauntered down the avenue. Over the past few months Shock had been seeing a lot more of Hayley around the place (including the tree house). It was clear now that she and Barrel were in for a long relationship.

"Why do you wear that thing when there's no snow?" asked Shock as she stared at her demonette friend. Hayley was still wearing the human skin coat despite the fact that the peak of winter had already passed.

Hayley laughed "Well, it's comfy and it looks good. Besides you still haven't told me why you're making Lock and Barrel clean up Oogie's Lair?"

"Well… I haven't even told them why either"

"Then tell me. Don't worry, I can keep a secret"

"Alright then, come in close" Shock brushed away some of Hayley's hair to reveal her ear holes. The witch explained the honour Boogie had bestowed upon her.

Hayley grinned wickedly "So… one day we're gonna be partners in the crime world?"

"What?"

"I'm Harlequin's heir, dummy"

"Oh yeah, that would make sense. Do you know who the others are yet?"

"I don't think they've been chosen yet"

"SKIN IS MURDER! SKIN IS MURDER!" echoed a horrendous chant.

Shock and Hayley cringed at the mob gathered at the street corner. They both shivered and gritted through their teeth "Hippie corpses…"

When some people die they are reborn as monsters of Halloweentown. However that is a tiny minority, most just end up dying and moving on to the afterlife. They still retain the memories of their human lives but at the same time their physical form is altered to become spookier. But that doesn't stop hippies from popping up. Regardless you could tell where the hippies were, they were always in drum circles, writing crappy poems, listening to music that had no end or differentiation, and dressed in strange clothing with flowers in their hair.

"Oh god! The one day I forgot my Slayer CD" panicked Shock as she glanced at her Discman. It was a well known fact that hippies could easily be defeated by the metal genre of music; and 'Raining Blood' by Slayer was a powerful and devastating song to the ears of a hippie.

"There she is!" cried a zombie hippie flower child as she pointed at Hayley

Another hippie corpse cried "She's wearing the skin of a human!"

"What the hell is wrong with you?" asked Hayley

"Wearing human skin is unethical!" wailed a hippie vampire

Another generic hippie corpse shouted "People have feelings too"

"Why are you getting so weird about this?" said Hayley as she smiled cruelly "We're supposed to scare humans and just because you may have been humans once doesn't mean you are now"

Shock snidely remarked "You'd be rejected by society if you went back now dickheads. Why the hell would you want to save the humans? They don't want to save you"

"But it's unethical" replied a hippie "The corporations have brainwashed you two into believing their lies"

"What corporations!? This is fucking Halloweentown you morons" snapped Shock "This isn't a stupid uptown college in America! There are NO corporations here!"

"Do you even know how many humans were killed to make that coat!?"

"Precisely, two adults, one child and ten scalps of hair you wankers" coldly informed Shadow as she walked into the area. Her hand was wrapped around a chain restraining the twisted beast next to her.

It was wolfish and large in size, yet it also had the stance of a wildcat. Its ears were long and curved with metal claws on the end. The pointed face of this creature was covered by a metal mask which was bolted into its skull. The only visible parts were its ears and its eyes, in which the whites of the eyes were black with red pupils. Its whole body was twisted with metal armour. The paws of this creature were covered with spiky boots with razor sharp blades as claws. Its tail was long and whip like with a sickle blade at the tip of it and its bones showing through. Its flesh was blue from decay and stitched up messily.

"You… murderer! Torturer!" chanted the hippies "The half life with no value for it!"

"Shade… get em" smirked Shadow as she let the lead of her monster go. The hippies screamed and fled as the metallic creature leapt forward. Shadow whistled and it came bounding back to her like a loyal dog.

"Why do so many idiots pay attention to Jason's ramblings?" sighed Shadow as she stroked her new monster. It moved close to her like an obedient pet.

Hayley grinned as she approached the Joker "Hey, what the hell is this thing?"

"This is Shade, my latest experiment. Isn't it cute?"

"What do you mean by it?"

"Well, I'm still in training so I forgot to give it a gender"

"How could you forget something like that!?"

"I guess it was between the brain surgery and aligning the spinal chord that I accidentally didn't set all the necessary hormones in the pituitary gland… I also forgot to actually add genitals as well. But let's just keep that quiet"

"Aw, I think it likes me!" laughed Hayley as Shade kept licking her cheek.

"So where's Stitches?" asked Shock as she looked around.

Over the past few months Shadow had kept the little hyperactive doll with her at all times. Shock couldn't quite guess what was going on, but she noticed that Shadow had become more paranoid lately. She was always alert and looking over her shoulder; almost like she was expecting something to grab her.

"Just in my bag" Shadow swang her pack in front of her and opened it. Stitched poked its head out and waved to Shock and Hayley.

"So how's things been? Obviously the lab is still up and running"

"Yeah, it is and it isn't. Hayley, I'll be a little late to work. I gotta take Shade over to Behemoth's place"

The demonette stopped petting the wolfish monster and asked "Why is it going there?"

"You can still play with Shade. It's just Behemoth is the only guy I know with a property big enough to keep a pet like this. Besides, he said he needed a new watch dog"

* * *

The hideout pulsed with nothing but good vibes as the music played. By now many had forgotten the fuss Jason kicked up at the town meeting last Halloween. Plans were going smoothly for the next ominous occasion. There wasn't any reason to stress, it was only the middle of the year. This was the best time to relax and unwind. Kamen turned the music up loud.

"_On a cold dark winter night hidden by the stormy light, a battle rages for the right for what will become. In the valley of the damned a warrior with sword in hand travels fast across the land for freedom he rides"  
_

Hayley was finding herself frequently working the floor and taking on some of the responsibilities of her father now. But she felt so good now, she couldn't hide the grin on her face.

"Someone's in a good mood" laughed Barrel as he noticed the demonette walk past him in the kitchen.

"Well of course I am. Scarlet had the operation today"

"And?"

"She's paraplegic now… but she can move her arms and torso again! Isn't that great!"

"I guess so, but she still can't move her legs"

"So what? She's fine now. She's no longer confined to her room anymore"

"I don't get this. I thought you two hated each other"

"Not anymore, ever since that attack she's changed into a normal person"

Emily asked as she stirred pots and tossed things in the fry pans "Do they know who did it to her originally? Or who gave her that organic stuff to rebuild her spine?" She didn't look away from her work. She was too busy.

"No, but isn't it funny. That she found that present for her at Christmas. No one knows who did it though"

'_I think I do'_ thought Barrel as he kept scrubbing dishes _'There's only one person I know capable of inflicting that damage and able to get their hands on aborted foetuses from humans without the help of anyone else'_

"_And the sign from the master on high screams aloud and across hear the cry for the kingdom of fire and ice and the power to be alive. Be strong ride on, carry on through the war, come along carry on, living for ever more"_

The walls of the hideout were beginning to waver like time was coming apart. The floor was beginning to ooze blood from every crack.Harlequin promptly rolled up a newspaper and smacked Shadow on the head. He quickly snapped "No daydreaming! It freaks the customers out"

"Right, sorry" laughed Shadow as she rubbed her head, the markings on her face and hands stopped glowing with a violet light. She said "But I really like Dragonforce"

"Still, daydream in your own time"

From time to time Shadow would occasionally drift off into her mind. This was dangerous because she was capable of making her imagination turn reality through her wandering thoughts and illusionary magic. But it was easily dispelled by waking her up or snapping her back to reality.

"So did you deliver that monster to Behemoth's place?" inquired Harlequin

Shadow nodded as she mixed up a few cocktails "Yeah, Shade loves it there. Behemoth and Rusty like Shade too. I'm sure they'll be excellent owners"

"Why did you built this uh… 'Shade' anyway?"

"Just practise. You should know you don't get any better without it"

Harlequin let out a hearty laugh as Shadow walked past him. She wandered off into the dining area to deliver the order of cocktails to a table of female ghouls.

"_On the wings of death by the hands of doom, by the darkest light from the darkest moon, crossing silent seas over mountains high for we stand as one tonight. On the black wind forever we ride on together destroying your evil with freedom our guide! When the master will storm us he'll stand high before us, our hearts filled with splendour. Our swords will shine over the light"  
_

The darkness of the catacombs echoed with music as Spectre was dragged along of his own free will. Ethan was by far stronger than him. Spectre had no idea what was wrong, he was just minding his own business when Ethan came home and immediately grabbed him.

"Alright! What the hell is this about!?" snapped Spectre as she struggled free

Ethan quickly reacted and snatched Spectre's stubby ponytail before he could run. He growled to his cousin "We need to sort something out, NOW!"

"What? I haven't done anything wrong"

"You can't hide it from me. What the hell happened between you and Shadow? You couldn't shut up about her one minute and then you came home and didn't want to even acknowledge her existence"

"That's ridiculous"

"It's been going on for ages now and I'm sick of it! Why are you acting like such a dickhead!?"

"Why are you acting so ignorant!? Dr Finklestein told me all about that stupid bitch and what she really is"

"Dr Finklestein!?" Ethan was stunned as he let go of his cousin. He muttered "How can you even trust that old bastard?"

Spectre immediately growled back "He's the only one being honest with me. Besides the only reason you want me to socialise more with you idiots is so I'm out of the house and you have a place to bang Aqua!"

"That's only a minor reason. You really have become an anti social prick because of that stupid old duck mutant"

"Don't talk about my master like that!"

"You have no idea what's going on with that old fuckwit! Do yourself a favour! Go to Hemlock Homestead and talk to Mr Hyde! Ask him about Dr Finklestein and Shadow! He'll tell you what's REALLY going on" Ethan stormed through the doors of the hideout leaving Spectre in the catacombs.

* * *

_Lyrics from "Valley of the Damned" by Dragonforce._

_I've added the song references to the appropriate chapters now if you're interested. I decided leaving the list till the end was a bad idea._


	32. The Truth

Hemlock Homestead was devoid of life. It was creepy even to a citizen of Halloweentown. Spectre kept following the alleyways like he had been told. Over his stay in town he had learnt of four individuals to normally keep away from, Harlequin, Mr Hyde, Maul and Behemoth. He didn't know why though, they didn't necessarily seem like fearsome enemies. Regardless, he knew the best way to avoid someone is to stay away from their home. Spectre noticed the buildings; the further he progressed the older they appeared. In their time they would've been works of horrific beauty but now they were broken down. Most had been abandoned.

A light flickered in a house up ahead through its only slim window. From the state of the building it was probably the oldest in the area. Spectre came to the heavy iron door of the ominous house. He knocked three times, the signal someone had come for information and not a social visit.

"Spectre Cadaver" smirked Mr Hyde as the ancient door creaked open "I've been waiting for you for a very long time"

Spectre was terrified as he followed Mr Hyde down the narrow entrance hall. _'Why has he been waiting for me!?'_ he thought as he came out to the hermit's main room. It was a massive library crammed with all manners of documents and texts. Hanging above them were more shelves and elaborate chandeliers that illuminated the room.

"So Spectre, what do you desire to know?" asked Mr Hyde as he sat down in his favourite armchair.

"I… Ethan told me to find the truth behind Dr Finklestein and Shadow. He said you were the only one who could tell me what was really going on"

The middle sized Mr Hyde stepped forward "That's logical, after all we know every detail about Halloweentown"

"We'll give you unbiased information for a price" informed the smallest Mr Hyde

Spectre knew he didn't have much money. But he still asked "How much?"

"All the notes you've acquired through your apprenticeship"

"What?"

"It's even trade. Information for new information" said Mr Hyde "If you truly desire to know, then you'll give me what you hold dearest"

Spectre paused for a moment as he receded into his mind. He reluctantly accepted "Very well… I'll deliver the notes to you tomorrow. It'll take me the rest of the night to find them all"

"Very well… allow me to explain" Mr Hyde continued to retell the conflict between Shadow and Dr Finklestein in every detail. None of it was biased to one side though, it was just a meticulous explanation of the circumstances.

"I feel like an idiot" sighed Spectre as he looked to his feet "Why didn't I bother to find out what was really going on? Shadow was right, I'd make a lousy mad scientist"

The middle sized Mr Hyde said "I wouldn't say that, rumours have said that you're very skilled at mechanics"

"But you're still young like her. You both still make mistakes. However she will probably make a greater one than you" added the smallest Mr Hyde

"What are you talking about?" asked Spectre

Mr Hyde said "It doesn't matter. For now you will probably seek forgiveness from her, but if you seek forgiveness from a Joker it's a little more involved than saying 'sorry'"

"What do they do?"

"They one in the wrong offers themselves to the other. The one who has been afflicted will then administer a torture called the Stone of Punishment. That is all I know of the matter"

"I see"

"However when it comes to courtship rituals, the male will often gift the female with the severed head of a beautiful human. Much like a human male will gift a human female with a rose"

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Just balancing out the payment with the product"

"I'll get going and get the notes for you"

"Take my smallest form with you, to ensure you do not cheat me"

* * *

The cemetery echoed with the melody of the wind as the mist swirled upon the ground. Shadow had finished work early tonight so she had decided to go back to her hidden lab and finish off some experiments. However, she knew she wasn't alone. Something was creeping behind her and she knew it. She kept silent and waited for it to stalk closer. She held onto the straps of her backpack tightly. It was all up to patience and waiting for the right moment.

An unnatural layer of mist swirled around her feet. Shadow could feel fear rising in her gut. She had never seen such a reaction before. Rasp breathing loudly echoed behind her. _'Shit… why the hell is no one around? The Hanging Tree never leaves his post here!'_ thought Shadow as her hand slowly came to rest on her hip just above the handle of her machete. The breathing was getting louder, it was moving closer to her. _'Unless, he knew my pattern… he's trying to take me down once and for all'_ she sensed it, something was hovering behind her shoulders. Her backpack sprang to life as Stitches burst from within the bag and out into the air. It tackled whatever was following her in the face. A monstrous screech cried from behind her.

Shadow immediately twisted around to face her ambusher. Her eyes widened as she stood there for a moment absolutely disgusted and terrified. It was a little girl, a mere lumpling, her hair was lank and dirty and she wore a patient's robe. She may have appeared to be a child, but her skin was so decayed. It looked like she had been around for centuries. The child snarled viciously revealing her jagged fangs and black gums. She glared at Shadow with her demonic red eyes as she cast Stitches to the side.

The girl's form melted, her skin melted down her face, her bones and organs melted away until she was nothing more than a bunch of blood red veins, arteries and muscles. Her hair was a mist around her head. Her two eyes were now congealed masses that dangled near each other. Her blood was a putrid green and black making Shadow suspect she was a vector of some powerful toxin or disease.

'_I am not touching that thing. Better use my magic'_ thought Shadow as she focused her magic. But the strange monster countered it. It raised a hand and released an orb of light that flashed through the cemetery. Her muscles harnessed a potent shine of bioluminescence. Shadow's eyes widened with panic, any Joker knows that their magic was powerless in an absence of darkness. The excess light ensured no dark patches could form anywhere.

The light spell in was in effect. The monstrous child evaporated into a black and green mist. Shadow suddenly found it difficult to breathe as the intoxicating mist ensnarled her. It was dense like liquid metal was being poured into every orifice of her body. It clouded around her senses so much it hurt. She couldn't breathe at all as her body began to numb. Shadow blacked out.

* * *

"What the hell?" said Shock as she looked down upon the cemetery. She was flying above Halloweentown upon her broom when she noticed the unnatural flash of light. As quickly as it had occurred it vanished into darkness once more. She shook her head dismissively "No way, that's was just my imagination getting the better of me"

The witch soared back to the tree house and landed on the roof as she normally did. After dismounting her broom, Shock opened up a trap door between the tiles and went inside her home.

"Shock, is there something you want to explain to us?" sneered Lock as she entered the main room. He was sitting on the couch with Barrel. They were both flicking through the files she had stolen from Dr Finklestein about a year ago.

She spied the files in their hands "Explain what? You're the ones who obviously searched my room"

"What are all these files about? They're kinda weird"

"Yeah, I mean there's a design for a half life catcher. Why the hell would anyone need that?" Barrel shook his head as he glanced at the pages.

Shock paused from what her half brother had said. She said "A what catcher?"

"You know, a half life. It fits because this monster can use a poison which is deadly to the living and ineffective to the undead. Then in a half life it probably just paralyses them. Don't people paralyse stuff when they want to catch it?"

"You've been spending too much time in Shadow's lab… well, when it was still in the maze"

"That was the smartest thing I've ever heard you say" added Lock with an expression of amazement on his face.

"Still… why would he need a half life catcher in order to make a soul robber?" muttered Shock as she collected up the files.

Lock turned to her "Wait, you mean all this crap is just to make a soul robber. These things have to be hell old by now and the soul robber is a modern invention"

"Well, that's all I can understand from it. There's lots of stuff I still don't get though. But with this monster design in the mix…"

"Where did you get these files anyway?"

"I stole it from Dr Finklestein's safe, about the same time I stole those books for Shadow so she could still get a lab started"

"Why would Dr Finklestein want to hide away how to make a soul robber?" asked Barrel

Lock nodded "Yeah, the only decent things he's created is that stupid gooey thing and Sally"

"I GOT IT!" shouted Shock "Why didn't I see it before!?"

"See what?"

"Isn't it obvious, the Jokers were around about the same time as these documents were dated; he invented the soul robber which got him the job of mad scientist when the Jokers mysteriously vanished from Halloweentown!"

"I still don't get it"

"Ever notice how no one seems to know what a soul robber is made of? Dr Finklestein hasn't revealed either. But look at all these notes, monsters to catch half lifes, devices to regenerate life in undead cells… it all fits. Soul robbers are made from Jokers!"

Barrel grinned "Wow, that's pretty cool… no wait! That's not cool at all!"

"Exactly, Dr Finklestein is probably going to do the same thing to Shadow. He's gonna turn her into a soul robber" Shock snatched up her broom again "I have to warn her!"

The witch vanished out the door again and soared off into the night. Lock and Barrel didn't have to say anything, they just looked at each other and nodded before following her lead.

* * *

A knock rasped at Harlequin's door. He quickly walked over and knocked a few mounds of blueprints away (so he could physically open the door). He pulled it open to find Shock at his doorstep. Her eyes wide and breathing shallow. She was definitely in a panic over something.

"Shock, come in, what's wrong?" he said as he welcomed her in.

Hayley sat up from the couch, Stitches was resting on her shoulder. For Stitches to be separated from Shadow as unspeakable. Hayley could immediately detect something was wrong with this situation. The demonette said "Have you seen Shadow at all? Stitches just came back here alone"

"That's what I fear" informed Shock "I can't explain now but I know why the Jokers vanished from Halloweentown. Dr Finklestein was harvesting them to be made into soul robbers. But from what I can gather he only successfully made two that work"

"Wait a minute, if soul robbers are made from Jokers… then… oh no" Hayley instantly knew where Shadow had disappeared to.

"Get going you two, I'll inform Mr Hyde to make the necessary arrangements" ordered Harlequin

"Right dad" nodded Hayley as she grabbed her lead pipe. She left with Shock and wandered out into the streets.

Within moments they had crossed paths with Lock and Barrel. They didn't have the advantage of flight so it took them longer to run here. Shock immediately snapped "Turn around boys, we're going to the Acid Works!"


	33. Soul Robber

The monstrous child fought the metallic confinements of her capsule. Having successfully caught the Joker it was now put to rest in its cage. Dr Finklestein had constructed it from the strongest metal alloys he could find. Pressing a button released toad toxin into the pod, effectively placing his beloved monster into a coma until it was aroused again. His entire laboratory was in a lockdown mode to ensure no intruders would come wandering in. He had even sent Igor and Jewel out on separate tasks so no one would see him. This was his greatest achievement and his most devastating defeat.

He had discovered this idea when he was an apprentice centuries ago, when Jokers still roamed Halloweentown. It was common knowledge that death would result in a Joker becoming a banshee, but bringing them to life was a different story. So he went to work and experimented wildly. The end result of his work and the slaughter of many Jokers was his first Soul Robber which was harvested from a Scarecrow class, the green one that Jack now wielded. His second Soul Robber was crafted from an Aristocrat class, the orange one that Jason kept with him.

Now he was going to create a third Soul Robber and rid himself of his competition in one act. Dr Finklestein turned to see Shadow unconscious on his work bench. Her mind and body had been successfully paralysed by his monster child. She was not going to wake up naturally for at least a week. Hovering above her were mechanical arms. Two of which possessed metal claws lined with platinum. The third arm had a single gem attached to it, the size of a fist. Dr Finklestein went over to the control panel and began to warm up the machine.

* * *

All the defences of the Acid Works were functioning in full swing. Lock, Shock, Barrel and Hayley stood at the edge of the mayhem and surveyed the area for an opening or anything that could help them. "He's definitely up to something" said Barrel as he pointed to the tower window. The lights were already flickering; suggesting something weird was going on.

"But how do we get there?" asked Hayley

"Leave that to me" said Shock as she mounted her broom "I'll turn off the security system, when that happens you'll have ten minutes to make it to the door of his tower. I'll meet you in the lab"

"Alright then" nodded Lock as he readied himself

Shock flew off and over the spectacle of the Acid Works. Sure, it looked impressive on the ground. But when flying over it, it looked like nothing more than a fancy lights show. The witch pointed her finger at the generator like a gun. She grinned _"FIRE"_

Her fingers shot a blazing fireball like a gun would shoot a bullet. It collided into the generator, the key point of the defence system. The explosion obliterated the bulk of it to scrap metal. But Dr Finklestein was no fool, he had built the generator so it could repair itself regardless of what had happened to it. Shock blew the smoke away from her fingertips. She could see her comrades already making their way down the main path of the Acid Works. Steering her broom, Shock flew towards the balcony of the laboratory.

Ten minutes originally seemed like a long time in their minds. However, now Dr Finklestein's minions had woken up, it was proving a difficult task to actually make it to the front door. Hayley cracked a mutant in the face with her lead pipe as Lock skimmed past her. Barrel threw the corpse of a minion at a nearby foe to inhibit their pursuit. Lock immediately slammed open the door allowing Hayley and Barrel to leap in. The generator came to life and the lightning fields awakened once more. If they had been a second later they would've been electrocuted.

* * *

The machine was powered up. Dr Finklestein manoeuvred the claws around Shadow's body, he was cutting into it at vital pressure points. It was a simple stab from each claw blade, a quick entry and retraction movement. Normally in any other species in Halloweentown it wouldn't be a big deal. But to a half life it triggered an unusual reaction.

Every stab made a flash of light drift from Shadow's body. It was white at the moment and wavered wildly. The light was a vague silhouette of her corporeal form. Despite the fact her body remained motionless, this silhouette was reacting and feeling every stab from his machine. Dr Finklestein hummed to himself "First you gotta steal the soul from the body, use the soul to feed the catcher"

The silhouette stopped reacting as it turned blood red. It floated lifelessly over Shadow.

"Then you gotta zap the body with the lightning to awaken the cells. Then you take the body away for cooling and you have a soul robber"

To simplify, a soul robber was the end product of resurrecting a Joker. By bringing them to life their body underwent a major decomposition until you got the end product. The soul had to be removed beforehand to ensure the end product wasn't tainted and had a mind of its own.

The mechanical limb holding a gem began to glow. A stream of watery light swirled out and attached to the silhouette floating over Shadow. But it wasn't giving up as it struggled against the tentacle.

"Come now, give in already. You know it's futile to resist" grimaced Dr Finklestein

"_Sleep"_ chimed a voice behind him. Dr Finklestein suddenly felt a gentle wave of warmth wash over him. He passed out in the control seat.

Shock landed behind Dr Finklestein. Luckily he had been too involved in his work to notice the witch enter his home through the open balcony. Shock turned off the strange machinery he had been working with. She didn't quite know what was going on but she knew it wasn't right. She wandered over to Shadow and stared blankly at the silhouette floating over her body.

"What's going on?" asked Lock as he slammed the door open. Barrel and Hayley followed him in. But the trio paused as they noticed what Shock was staring at. The devil scratched his head "What the hell is going on?"

"I've no idea" replied Shock

Hayley noticed the silhouette and the small wavers of light that connected it to Shadow like a puppet on strings. The demonette said "Maybe it can be put back in, it's still attached to her"

"Alright then" Barrel put one hand on the head of silhouette and another on its bust. Strangely it felt solid despite its wavering appearance.

"Barrel! You don't grab girls there!" snapped Shock as she smacked him on the back of the head.

"What? The forehead?"

"No you idiot! The breasts!"

"But how come Hayley let's me play with hers?"

"Because she's your girlfriend you moron!"

Lock and Hayley didn't know what to say. Regardless of age, Shock always seemed to be telling Barrel off for something.

"Fine then" Barrel repositioned his other hand over the silhouette's midsection. He roughly pushed it back towards Shadow's body. Surprisingly it vanished back into Shadow's body making it move as a reaction to Barrel's push.

Lock queried "How did you know to do that?"

"I didn't… I just guessed" admitted Barrel

Hayley checked Shadow's vital signs "I think she's still with us. She's just paralysed now"

"We need to hide her some place away from him" growled Shock as she gestured to the unconscious Dr Finklestein.

"She can hide at our place. No one from town ever thinks of going there" said Lock

"Alright, I'll work out a lie to tell my dad" nodded Hayley

"So let's get going and escape" Barrel growled as he swung Shadow over his shoulder. The quartet escaped unharmed from the Acid Works.

* * *

Kamen's apartment was pretty small. There was only really enough room for one person in the small cluttered room. It was beyond Malice how he lived here with his bedroom, kitchen and living area in one tiny area. When she asked about the bathroom he told her he just did his business out the window. In the dim light Malice sat on his half damaged couch and flicked through her books.

"What are ya reading?" Kamen said as he sat down next to her with an open beer in hand.

She answered "Just some documents for work"

"Work, work, work, that's all you seem to do"

"Well, being the Mayor's apprentice is a hard job"

Kamen ran his bandaged hands down Malice's curves "How bout for tonight you don't do any paperwork and call in a sickie for tomorrow?"

"As tempting as it is, I can't" she replied as she continued reading

"Oh well, at least take off that suit. It doesn't look very comfortable"

"I don't work naked, Kamen. Sorry to disappoint you"

"How bout you just wear one of my old shirts?"

"Fine" nodded Malice, it was a fair compromise.

Kamen wandered over to his cupboard and began flicking through his collection of garish pimp cloths and hats. He pulled out an old baggy black T-shirt and threw it at Malice. He said "Here, chuck this on"

Malice removed her fine suit and slipped her shoes off. It felt good to get out of that ridiculous outfit. She noticed Kamen watching her from his bed as she stood before him in her undergarments. She slipped on the black shirt, it just reached her thighs.

"It looks a lot better on you than it looked on me" laughed Kamen

Malice smirked "This shirt is very much unlike you"

"Well, my grandparents gave it to me so what can you do" Kamen sauntered over to her and sat on the couch with her. Unfortunately he managed to knock over all the documents balanced on his coffee table in the process.

"Sorry Malice" he pleaded as he scrambled to collect them up again. He noticed the titles on some of them. "Why are you reading about Jokers and Dr Finklestein?"

"That's none of your business" said Malice as she snatched them from him

"Come on Malice, you can tell me" he smiled at her.

"Kamen… no, I can't. They're confidential"

"Well… what if I said I knew some stuff too?"

"About what?"

"That Dr Finklestein's first invention was the Soul Robber"

Malice squawked "How do you know that!?" she didn't even know that detail.

"Just me putting the dots together" laughed Kamen "I'm not as dumb as I look"

Malice then realised something she had never seen in Kamen. The tone of voice, the confidence in revealing that one little detail; she knew he was probably aware of secrets she had never heard of. She moved closer to him and said "Please, tell me what you know about this"

"I will, for a price" he gazed directly at her breasts

She let out a sigh of annoyance. Malice slipped off the shirt again and said "Fine, we'll root for a while and then you're telling me everything!"


	34. Awakening

It had been a few days since Spectre had heard the truth from Mr Hyde. He had looked for Shadow at her usual hangouts but had no luck. She was gone now. Not knowing what else to do he wandered to Harlequin's house and knocked on the front door.

"Yes?" asked Harlequin as he opened the door "Oh, hey Spectre. How are you?"

He replied "I'm fine. But I was wondering if you knew where Shadow was"

"She needed a holiday so I gave her a few weeks off" nodded the demon "She could be anywhere"

"Alright, where's Hayley then?"

"She's probably with Barrel. Give them a little private time though"

"I understand. Thankyou"

Harlequin closed the door and pondered _'I know Hayley will be pissed off for telling him Shadow was still in town. But I had to, surely she can see that'_

Spectre kept walking with another location in mind. He knew of the general location of Lock, Shock and Barrel's home. Apparently it was an ominous tree house at the far edge of town towards the Hinterlands.

* * *

"Finky" asked Jewel as she passed him is lunch "I need to talk to you"

He cooed "What is it my precious jewel?"

It was the weekend which meant Spectre wasn't in the laboratory today. Instead it was just Dr Finklestein, Jewel and Igor. But Igor knew when to leave his master alone.

"A few days ago, when I found you asleep in the lab. What exactly was meant to be contained in that metallic vessel?"

Dr Finklestein's warm smile instantly melted into a frown "What vessel?"

"This capsule at the corner of your lab" she gestured to the partly concealed cage. One of the tubes had come loose and was now congealed with green goo.

"Oh no…" he muttered

"What is it?"

"Nothing Jewel, nothing at all" he replied _'Oh shit, the toxin line has been disrupted. It's free to roam the streets again. No big problem it'll probably go after that Joker bitch again before returning'_

The monster that had escaped was a big problem in Dr Finklestein's mind. It wasn't defective and it wasn't broken, it was illegal by Halloweentown standards. It was forbidden to produce monsters to hunt and harvest other races of the Halloween world. So all Dr Finklestein could do was hope it would return to him soon. Any activity from him would result in unwanted attention.

* * *

Shadow finally opened her eyes again. She immediately sat up and wildly looked around as she silently freaked out. The last vision in mind was the grotesque monster girl and the intoxicating fog. But she calmed down. Shadow was in someone's bed. Looking around the bedroom she had no idea where she was. Spell books, jars of ingredients and a small cauldron was scattered amongst the shelves and floor. A cupboard in the corner was filled with purple and black outfits.

"Hey, she's up!" called Barrel's voice.

Shadow was startled as she looked up to see him at the doorway. He wasn't facing her and appeared to be talking to people in the other room. Nailed on the bedroom door was a green witch mask.

"Where… where am I?" she asked nervously

"Huh?" Barrel faced her again "Oh yeah, you're at our place. You were pretty messed up when we found you"

"What happened? All I can remember is being attacked in the graveyard"

"Come out into the main room and we'll explain everything to you"

Shadow sat on the coffin couch with Shock as she ate. Surprisingly the bowl of snake and spider stew given to her by Lock was actually edible. It didn't matter though, she was starving. The Joker remained silent as Lock, Shock, Barrel and Hayley explained what had happened to her.

"So after that we fled the Acid Works and brought you back here" informed Barrel

Shock said "You've been unconscious for about half a week now"

"No wonder I feel like shit" trembled Shadow

"I told Dad about the situation and we agreed to tell everyone you've gone back to Sleepy Hollow to visit your family again" said Hayley calmly

Lock laughed "Amazingly enough no one's asked any major questions"

"Well boys" commanded Shock "Your break's over so get back to work" before they could retort to her order the witch snapped "Don't make me turn you inside out!"

Lock and Barrel quickly shuffled off towards a ladder. The quickly descended down into the pit bellow it. Hayley couldn't help but ask "Where does that go anyway?"

"Down into Oogie's Casino" Shock then paused wide eyed. She realised she had just informed Shadow about it. The witch didn't really know why but people just treated her different when they found out about her, Lock and Barrel's childhood of being Oogie's henchmen.

"Alright, you tell me now" growled Shadow "Who the hell is Oogie?"

"Fine, Oogie was… the boogieman of Halloweentown. He was also the crime lord of the illegal gambling ring and Jack Skellington's sworn enemy" Shock let out a sigh as she said "Lock, Barrel and I were his henchmen. We did a lot of bad things, we stole Holiday Doors and kidnapped Santa. Not to mention the daily pranks and torture we inflicted upon others"

Hayley remained silent. She knew about all this already. When she was a child she was actually afraid of Boogie's Boys. It is ironic that she was now the girlfriend of one of them.

"Oogie Boogie took care of us… well… he just put a roof over our heads. All food was gathered by us, he even beat the crap out of us on a daily basis for fun. But we had nowhere else to go. So we just put up with it because we too scared to do otherwise… We've done a lot of bad things in our childhood. It's no wonder we're so screwed up now" said Shock

Shock looked up at Shadow just to see a reaction. Usually whenever she made this confession to a newcomer they'd freak and run as far away as they could. But Shadow just rested her left leg on their coffee table and rolled up her pant leg. Shock and Hayley were amazed to see a strange circular chart carved into her leg right over the shin. It would've been agonising to deal with the precise cuts.

"When I was six I flayed my first victim. I just wanted to prove I was ready to torture people at Halloween… I was just trying to make my parents proud. But I made the biggest mistake, I tortured someone who did not deserve it. I was faced with the stone of punishment. The magic has worn off and I can move my leg again, but the mark is still there to remind me" Shadow laughed as she looked to Shock "Don't think you're the only one who's done something bad in your childhood"

Shock remained silent. She just smiled warmly to the Joker. Their little session of girl talk was interrupted as Lock and Barrel screamed down bellow. Immediately the trio of girls ran over to the ladder and headed down.

* * *

Lock fell back, the left side of his body had become numb. He struggled to his knees as he looked back at it. It had come out so suddenly from the darkness of a nearby tunnel. It was a bunch of blood red veins, arteries and muscles contorted into the shape of a girl. Her hair was a mist around her head. Her two eyes were congealed masses that dangled near each other. Her blood was a putrid green and black. Barrel was now fighting her off with an old rusted spike he had found on the floor.

In the casino's heyday, Oogie had ensured there were plenty of traps and devices to use against anyone who opposed him. He prided himself on his impenetrable traps. But it had been too long since Oogie died. The casino lair was run down. The mechanical defences still needed to be repaired. Lock was powerless to help his friend.

"Don't let her touch you!" he cried as his face went partly numb. Lock didn't know why, but if the child touched you, your limbs suddenly went dead.

"Easier said than done!" snapped Barrel as he fought her back.

"It's her! That's the bitch that attacked me!" snarled Shadow as she came down into the lair with Shock and Hayley. Seeing Barrel in danger made Hayley react like lightning. She armed her lead pipe and ran off to help him.

Shock said "What do we do!?"

"Given the scenery this could work… I need you to bind her to one area, paralyse her too so she can't use her damn bioluminescence too!" the Joker had learnt from her previous mistakes. Now she wasn't going to give it another chance.

"Right, I know just the trick" nodded Shock. The witch raised her arms and focused her magic. She chanted _"Briars of the dark entwine. My opponent you shall line. You will not escape the wrath of me"_

Barrel knew his half sister was up to something. He immediately grabbed Hayley and pulled her away from the spell's field of attack. Long whips of darkness and purple fog surrounded the monster. It grew wildly like weeds and tangled it up.

Shadow then performed her move she simply waved her hand and gained control of the darkness in the chamber. The spire of gloom rose up beneath the child. It gruesomely impaled her, splattering her putrid green blood everywhere. The Joker nodded "Alright… that's settled"

"Why won't my body… I've gone numb!" shrieked Lock as Shock went to his side

Shadow informed the devil "It's probably a neurotoxin. It'll wear off soon enough"

"What do we do now?" cringed Hayley as the body of the monster splattered on the ground as a mass of organic puss.

"Clean it up, burn it if we have to. Relax, I'll help you guys with it"

"I'll go concoct a potion for you Lock" said Shock as she stood up "You know, to heal the numbing"

He growled "You sure it won't turn me into a frog or something?"

"I can make beneficial magic too you know"

* * *

Sally almost dropped the dishes as the back door flew open. She twitched as she turned to see Malice at the doorway. The split faced girl was panting, her hair was a ragged mess and her clothes were shambled. The ragdoll said "Malice? What is it? Did something happen to the Mayor?"

"No, I need to talk to Jack immediately" she replied as she held her files tightly "It's a very serious matter in regards to Dr Finklestein and his illegal activities"

"Well… Jack is in his study at the moment. I'm sure he won't mind you going up"

Sally remained silent as she watched Malice head upstairs. She always knew Dr Finklestein was dodgy. She had seen him at work during her time spent trapped at his tower. She just never had the guts or the evidence to say anything.

"Why is Malice here?" growled Jason as he stormed into the room

Sally answered "She needs to speak with your father"

"Stupid bi polar bitch. Always getting her nose into everything"

"Don't talk like that Jason!"

"I'll talk however I want. You got nothing on me!"

Sally felt hopeless. Jason never listened to her. She sighed "Where are you going?"

"Dr Finklestein's Lab"

"Please Jason, can you stay away from there? Something isn't right"

"Yeah, the fact he's the only one that seems to acknowledge my potential" Jason snarled as he slammed the door behind him.

The study was a cluttered and cramped library of every scaring trick in the book. It was naturally illuminated by the uncurtained windows. The decorative frames cast spooky silhouettes across the polished floor. Jack was amongst the untidiness petting Zero as he flicked through an old book.

"Mr Skellington?" said Malice as she dared to step closer

"Malice? Why are you here so early?" Jack was starting to panic. She was beginning to develop the same stalking behaviour as the Mayor.

"I need to speak with you. I've just uncovered one of the biggest scams in Halloweentown since the zombie holocaust"

* * *

On the other side as town as Malice explained matters to Jack; Kamen had an appointment of his own. He made it to the spooky house of Hemlock Homestead. The heavy door creaked open as he approached. Mr Hyde smiled to him "Good to see you again. Why did you tell her?"

"I thought it was time to unleash the truth and watch the result" coldly replied Kamen as he walked into Mr Hyde's house "After all, you said this crap has gone on long enough"

"I hope you made her pay for it"

"Yeah, she certainly did"

"Then where's the information?" asked the middle sized Mr Hyde

Kamen smirked "I let her pay with something a little more useful to me"

"Stop thinking with your pants" snapped the smallest Mr Hyde "That is, if you wore them"

"It doesn't matter, the wheels are turning and soon Dr Finklestein will be a figment of the past"

Mr Hyde knew Kamen was retaining information from him. He never quite understood why, but ever since he was a child; Kamen would always follow Mr Hyde around. Always watching and asking questions. It was peculiar to find such a young and quizzical child.

Mr Hyde then had a brilliant idea. He asked "Say Kamen, how would you like to establish a business deal with me?"


	35. Stone of Punishment

Hours had passed since the demon girl had attacked them at the casino. Lock had finally regained control of his body again as the numbness faded thanks to Shock's potions. Barrel, Hayley and Shadow continued with the cleaning and repairs to the area.

"Did you have to splatter this crap everywhere?" whined Hayley as she scrubbed at the ceiling with a long mop. She was sitting on Barrel's shoulders as he balanced carefully on a rack.

"Well… the bitch had it coming" replied Shadow as she burned the carcass and opened a nearby vent to get rid of the smoke.

"That was pretty cool though" remarked Barrel "What magic do you have anyway?"

"Simple stuff, manipulation of the dark, some invisibility or ghost effects and a bit of illusionary power too. It's not that impressive when compared to other members of my clan. But I can only use my magic in the presence of darkness. I can't use it in broad daylight unless there's some form of shadow on the ground"

"Hello? Anyone down here?" called a foreign voice. Shadow froze up as she recognised who it was. The sudden call made Barrel loose his balance and slip from the rack. Hayley tumbled down and fell on top of him.

"I don't know whether to get off or stay…" muttered Hayley as she looked at him

Barrel quickly said "Maybe now isn't the best time"

"Spectre, just the man I need" called Shock as she stood up to greet him.

The partly robotic corpse was climbing down the ladder into the lair. He nervously looked around and saw that Lock, Shock, Barrel, Hayley and Shadow were all there. Spectre said "Sorry for coming down like this… I didn't mean to intrude and I heard voices down here"

"That's alright, it's not like we even lock the door of our house" cackled Lock

Barrel grinned "It's more fun to beat the shit out of whoever enters"

"What is this place anyway?" asked Spectre as he looked around the casino lair.

"A project we're revamping" informed Shock "And I need you to repair all the mechanical components of this place"

Spectre quickly looked around and pondered all the broken machinery "Easy, I'll have it done for you in forty eight hours"

"Really? That's fast"

"This stuff is very simple. I can do it blindfolded"

"I can't pay you now, I'll pay you once I have a substantial amount of cash"

"Money isn't an issue Shock. Thanks for giving me some toys to play with" Spectre nodded as he flicked out a tool kit from his pocket.

Lock then asked before he could get started "Why did you come here anyway?"

"Oh yeah…" Spectre always forgot about everything else when mechanics were involved. It was his livelihood. He said "I actually came to talk to Shadow. I need to be administered with the Stone of Punishment"

Hayley bluntly said out loud "The what stone?"

"You want forgiveness?" said Shadow. She knew what he meant.

"Yeah, I know what happened between you and Dr Finklestein. I want to make it up to you"

"Very well… but I will give it to you once you've finished repairs" said Shadow as she turned and climbed back up the ladder. Out of curiosity Lock, Shock and Hayley followed her. Barrel stayed back and continued to tidy up the area.

* * *

"Wait a minute Shock" said Lock as he grabbed the witch by the shoulder.

She hissed at him "What?"

"I need to know something, why are we fixing up the casino again? You never told us"

"If you must know, I'm taking Oogie's place as the crime lord of gambling. So the casino needs to be in good condition for that to happen. Now let go!" growled Shock as she pushed him away. She wasn't interested in such matters now. Her curiosity of the Stone of Punishment was too great.

Lock remained silent as he stood in the hallway of the tree house. _'Shock? A crime lord? NO! I'm not gonna let her have that kinda glory over me!'_ he thought as he stormed out of his home.

Hayley and Shock had cornered Shadow and dragged her over to the coffin couch. Keeping a hold of her arms they both asked "What's the Stone of Punishment?"

"Just a way Jokers discipline one another" answered Shadow

Shock asked "Is it a torture method?"

"If so, I better get that dominatrix outfit so you can look good for Spectre" teased Hayley

"You have a dominatrix outfit?" said Shock as she looked at Shadow

"Yeah, she bought me one" gritted Shadow as she pointed to Hayley. The demonette just laughed wickedly.

"Well what are you waiting for!? Go get it!" ordered Shock "I gotta see this to believe it"

Shadow exclaimed "I don't even know how to put it on!"

"But we can help you figure it out" nodded Hayley "Hold up, I'll get it from home"

* * *

Rusty was surprised to see Lock storming through the Pumpkin Patch at this time of day. The mute scarecrow looked blankly at the devil as he came closer. Behemoth stopped tending to his crops as he noticed his workmate's reaction.

"Lock, what're ya doing here? The next delivery isn't for months" growled Behemoth in a low voice when the devil was close enough. Rusty kept a vigilant lookout to make sure no one saw Behemoth for what he really was, a genius.

He bluntly snapped "I want to take over your position as one of the crime lords"

"What? You mean become my heir?"

"Why not? I've worked with you long enough. I know how to make liquor in that distillery of yours"

"What if I refuse?"

"Then I inform Jack about your little scheme and show him the distillery"

"Blackmail…" Behemoth laughed to himself. He raised a hand "With an attitude like that you'll be excellent as my replacement"

"Really? Thanks" Lock shook Behemoth's hand; the symbol of a new partnership.

"Now get outta here before I change my mind"

Lock quickly ran off happier than before. He couldn't believe it would work. He imagined Behemoth would crush him from posing a threat to him. But it didn't matter, Lock was now an heir to a crime lord. Shock couldn't steal all the glory from him now.

Rusty waved his hands in sign language _"I had a feeling you'd take him as your heir"_

"What makes you say that?" asked Behemoth

"_Well, he definitely does fit the mould. Remember he blackmailed you to actually get the job as a deliverer. He was born to work this trade"_

"True, true"

* * *

Shadow backed away from the malicious grins of Shock and Hayley. She was cornered in Shock's room and up against the walls. The Joker trembled "No… I'm not doing this"

"Oh yes you are" growled Shock

"Come on Shadow, don't be shy" leered Hayley

Shadow was forced down as Shock and Hayley started to change her outfit.

Lock paused as he heard a scream in the tree house. He quickly ran over to Shock's bedroom door and slammed it open. "Are you al… right?" he paused as he stared in curiosity.

Hayley and Shock had random pieces of leather in their hands. Shadow stood between them looking really unimpressed. Her normal baggy clothes had been swapped for a tight leather corset and other random straps of studded and spiked leather. It covered the private regions of a reason but was still skimpy and revealing.

"Lock… fuck off!" snapped Shadow

"Don't be like that, you look so pretty!" laughed Hayley "Come on! Sing it with me, _'I feel pretty! Oh so pretty! I feel pretty and witty and gay!'_"

"I am not wearing this!" growled Shadow as she shoved them all out of the bedroom and slammed the door.

Hayley commented "I don't know why she's angry… she didn't look bad in it or anything"

"Maybe it's that time of the month for her" added Shock

* * *

Time had passed and Spectre had repaired all the machinery of the casino lair. Lock, Shock and Barrel marvelled at his craftsmanship. When considering the limited time frame he achieved this feat in; it was actually amazing.

"Nice work! The casino wasn't ever working this well when Oogie was here" said Shock

Spectre bowed his head graciously "I take pride in my craft. All of the games have been rigged as well to ensure maximised profits"

"Looks like the science geek can be useful" taunted Lock

Spectre turned to the Joker "Shadow… I believe we had an agreement"

"Very well, but… are you sure you want to do this?" she replied solemnly

"Yeah, I'm sure"

"We'll leave you to it" said Shock as she led Lock, Barrel and Hayley out of the area.

They climbed back up into the tree house and immediately went to the cage lift outside. Over the years they had installed ladders and ropes down into the chasm. The climbed back down and came to a platform suspended near the window into Oogie's Lair. In their childhood, Lock, Shock and Barrel would go to this point in their cage elevator and watch their master torture his victims.

Spectre nervously looked at Shadow as she unravelled a sharpened piece of quartz. It dangled from a dirtied leather chord. The stone itself was stained with blood.

"Please, lie down" Shadow gestured to a nearby rack "Remove your shirt as well"

Spectre jested as he laid down "I seem to be like this around you often"

"Be quiet and hold still" she coldly replied as she went to his side. She tied the end of the chord around her fingers. Like a hypnotist she began to wave the quartz like a pendulum. It picked up speed as it waved over Spectre's chest.

"What are you doing?" he asked _'What have I gotten myself into?'_

He felt it. A sharp sensation across his chest as the quartz cut though the lower part of his torso. It was rapid movements of the quartz along his body that dug into his flesh and dragged along slowly, painfully. Within a few moments Shadow had finished. A strange runic chart now covered part of Spectre's abdomen. He winced as he sat up again. His whole body shaking as he attempted to recover from the pain.

"So… that's it?" he gritted through his teeth

"Not quite" said Shadow as she picked up a wooden stick that was leaning near a wall nearby. She raised it and started to beat him repeatedly in the chest. The sickening crunch of ribs breaking echoed in the lair.

Spectre fell flat on his face as she stopped beating him. Barely conscious he struggled to get to his knees. Shadow waved her hand as the darkness engulfed him. He vanished from the casino lair.

Lock stammered "What the hell was that about?"

"I have no idea" trembled Hayley

Barrel shook his head "I didn't know she had it in her to do that"

Shock was disgusted as well by watching the beating. But at the same time, this was different to the time Shadow tortured Scarlet. The jester wasn't cold or serious. There was a smile on her face. The same expression a love struck teen would wear.


	36. All hell breaks loose

She wandered down the main street, confused and lost. The cobbled road twisted and turned through a spooky little town that looked terrifyingly gothic. She knew she should've turned back at the ring of trees. But her curiosity got the better of her. She was a human girl, probably still in her teens. She was walking home when she took a wrong turn and wound up at the Holiday Doors. Her school uniform was already dirtied and dishevelled from the journey here.

"Why hello there" said a voice with a heavy Transylvanian accent

She turned to see a vampire. A real vampire! His body was covered in black robes and his black hair was combed neatly back behind his pointed ears and chalky face. Two long fangs poked from his lips. He looked rather young, only in his twenties. The schoolgirl replied "H… hello"

"What's your name?"

"Katherine"

"Well Katherine, are you lost?"

"Y… yes. I took a wrong turn on my way home"

"Well, you're in Halloweentown now. A place no humans are meant to tread unless of course they have a relative here"

It was uncommon to meet a human with a relative in Halloweentown. But it still happened. Often during their holiday some of the monstrous creatures of this world would develop affection and romance with individuals of the human world. The result is a hybrid offspring, they were allowed to stay in town unharmed because of their genetics. But most of the time, it was just some poor human who got lost and wound up here.

She whimpered "No… I'm just lost"

"Well then, I'll take you to see Jack. He's our leader, he'll know what to do"

The vampire took Katherine's hand and led her through Halloweentown. She couldn't help but suspect something was wrong. The last comment he had said was loud to ensure people in the Fountain Square could hear him.

They took a turn into a dead end and darkened alleyway. Katherine's heart began to beat wildly. She was terrified. She was fiercely slammed against the wall. A hand grasped her forehead and jarred her neck in place. The vampire smiled revealing his fangs.

"No… please no!" she begged as tears rolled down her cheeks

"Pathetic, you humans are absolutely pathetic. Why do you always perceive yourselves to be so important? Have you spent too long on top of the food chain?" mocked the vampire "It's hard to find blood as sweet as yours in our day and age"

"Please! My mum will be waiting for me at home"

"Too bad" the vampire bit into her neck. Katherine couldn't scream. Her voice had just vanished as the vampire began leeching off her blood.

Having finished his drink the vampire dropped Katherine's dead corpse like garbage. As her body had been drained of blood it was impossible for her to return as a vampire.

"Hey Jonathon! You holding out on us or what?" growled a werewolf boy as he emerged from the darkness of an archway. Behind him was a zombie girl. Both of them were about the same age as him.

"No, I'm done, do what you want with her corpse" he said as he walked off

"Yes! Brains!" drooled the zombie girl as she knelt down and started to crack Katherine's skull open.

"Come to me, sweet marrow" grinned the werewolf as he snapped an arm off

* * *

When Spectre awoke he found himself back in his room at Ethan's house. Alert as ever, he sat up and wildly looked around himself. Noticing nothing was going to attack him, he calmed down. He lifted up his shirt to see the runic mark was still there and the bruises from the beating. The door of his room opened as Ethan and Kamen walked in.

"What the hell happened?" snapped Spectre

Ethan informed "We found you unconscious in the street"

"So we brought you back here" finished Kamen "What happened to you?"

Spectre replied "I dunno… I got Shadow's forgiveness and then she just bashed me with a stick"

"Well given the crap you've been saying to me about her, it'd about time you got what was coming to you" laughed Ethan

"But still… I don't understand… she said she forgave me and then just bashed me"

"You do realise, when Jokers wish to flirt they bash their love interest's chest with a stick" said Kamen in a calm collected manner. "Spectre, I assume the bruises from that beating are only located on the chest"

"Why the hell would you do that!?" exclaimed Ethan and Spectre

"No idea, then again, Jokers are kinda nuts. All human eating species are to some extent"

"Whatever happened to cheesy pickup lines?" asked Ethan

"They don't use em" laughed Kamen "Must be easy to pick up when you're a Joker though"

* * *

Dr Finklestein sat back in his laboratory and calmly watched the sunset from his balcony. He had woken that morning feeling peculiar; a certain premonition that something major was going to happen today. Regardless, he was prepared. Today was the day his grand scheme came to fruition. He heard the door open as someone walked in.

The doctor turned and coldly said "Hello Jack"

"Dr Finklestein" nodded the Pumpkin King as he stepped forward. He gestured to his soul robber "I need you to explain this"

"My soul robber? What do you need to know?"

"How did you make it?"

"That's a little secret"

"More like a big one. I know you harvested Jokers in your experiments to make these. That is against the laws of Halloween" growled Jack

"So what? Jokers deserve to die! They're vile, wretched creatures who torture and devour their victims. They're evil and have no place in this world"

"Vampires, werewolves, demons, ogres, giant spiders, zombies…"

Dr Finklestein was growing impatient as he snapped "What are you rambling on about!?"

"These are just some of the many species in the Halloween world that feed on humans. They all do it their own way too. Most of them devour their prey while they're still alive. The pain must be unimaginable"

"Get to the point, Jack!"

"In ancient times witches and warlocks used inhumane methods to extract ingredients from live humans. Torture and harvesting of human life is not an uncommon sight here"

"But it's wrong! Halloween is meant for scaring humans not killing them!"

"I admit that is what Halloween is about in our present day. In the era of the first Pumpkin King Halloween was a time for hunting and the mass slaughter of humans, but that all changed by the tenth king. My father always told me, most of us cannot extinguish our primal urges regardless of how much time has passed. Fair enough it took me a few years to understand what he meant and it didn't sink in until I first found a zombie feeding on a human that had wandered into town. Whilst some of the races of this world can suppress their urges or don't even eat human, most of them cannot. They say they cannot resist the delicacy of human flesh"

"Then I'll devise a way to ween them off. Perhaps a brain implant? I don't care! I'll fix this mess of a holiday!"

"No Dr Finklestein. You change that detail of their brain that makes them desire human flesh and they're not even a real monster anymore"

"But you are aware even in our present day, only one out of ten humans that have wandered here has made it to your door to return to their world! The other nine are often devoured and left without a trace!"

"I cannot govern everything. No one can control free will"

Dr Finklestein started howling with laughter. He said "But I can! You obviously have gone soft in the brain. You're scared to rule with an iron fist. I got rid of the Jokers before and I can easily do it again! I'll fix this evil town and give Halloween a true purpose to be respected as a holiday. That can't happen as long as torturers and human eaters are left to wander around"

"Dr Finklestein! You're going to start a war between human eaters and non human eaters! It's not worth it!" pleaded Jack

"I think it is! It's for a better world where we can scare humans and not devour them like cattle; the greater good. And you Jack, are in my way!" Dr Finklestein slammed his hand on a button as robotic manacles lashed out and entangled the Pumpkin King. The doctor gloated "Like my new toys? It was good of you to suggest I get an apprentice. How else would I get access to the designs of such wonderful gadgets?"

"How can we scare when humans believe their lives are not in danger from us!? Dr Finklestein, you've lost it!" growled Jack as he struggled against them.

"I'm only getting started!" he cackled as he smashed a button down "Jason, are you ready for this?"

"Ready!" crackled his voice over a speaker

Jack immediately cried "Jason? Where are you!? What are you doing!?"

"I'm eradicating Halloweentown of all the impure scum that drenches its streets"

"Jason… how could you?"

Dr Finklestein switched off the intercom. He said "He's no longer your son Jack, he's my servant now. I've brainwashed him into the perfect slave"

* * *

Boogie and Lady were distracted from their conversation as masses of Halloween citizens began to sprint down the street. All their cries melded into one giant screech as they fled to refuge. Already strange ghostly creations were sweeping the skies. They were not natural creatures, they looked like animated corpse dolls with a hint of ghostly goodness thrown in. Boogie and Lady turned to see Dr Finklestein's tower in the distance. The ominous Acid Works surrounding it were crackling with electricity as something was rising up. All the junk and scrap metal was bolting together automatically and standing up. Having completed its metamorphosis, the ominous titan of scrap and steel stood proudly in the Acid Works. It was the same height as the tower.

The iron giant began its march through Halloweentown. It was heading in the direction of Skellington Manor. Boogie glared at her friend and said "Strip and go spy on the workings of the tower! NOW!"

"At once Boogie" replied Lady as she tore her gown and veiled mask away. They split up and went their separate ways. Boogie sprinted through the streets in hot pursuit of the metal monster.

Fang was nearly knocked down as the crowds sprinted past. It was mayhem as everyone fled the vicious flying dolls. Ethan caught his bat friend in one of his mighty hands. "Thanks buddy" said Fang as he clambered onto Ethan's shoulder.

"For crying out loud! It's pandemonium out here!" growled Kamen as he leaned against a wall to avoid being bowled over.

"Hey! What the hell is that!?" screeched Ethan as he pointed to the hulking giant storming over towards them.

"That bastard!" snapped Spectre "That was one of my designs from my blueprints! He's gone ahead and made it reality!"

"You designed a big robot?"

"Well… I watched a little bit too much Transformers one night and in my sleep deprived state I drew up a design for a giant robot! OKAY!?"

"Holy shit!" cried Kamen as the monster stomped through Town Hall. The pimped up mummy sprinted from his friends calling "MALICE!"

"Kamen! Get back here!" snapped Ethan "We have to stay together"

"He ain't coming back" informed Fang

Spectre said "Then we'll follow him! Come on!"

* * *

"Well… there goes the neighbourhood" sighed Lock as he watched the giant mechanical monster stomp its way through Halloweentown. He didn't really care though. He was safe and sound in the tree house at the outskirts of town near the Hinterlands.

Shock nodded in agreement "I know, I haven't seen a giant heap of crap move since Oogie"

"Oh no, Scarlet is in danger" panicked Hayley "I have to help her"

Lock replied "Why? We're at a safe distance. Just relax"

"No Lock! I'm going to help her!"

"I'll come with you, my magic will come in handy" nodded Shock as she readied her broom.

Lock snapped as his tail flicked wildly behind him "For crying out loud, why can't you guys just hang out here with me and wait till it blows over!?"

"No can do Lock" answered Shock as she and Hayley left.

"How is Jack supposed to kill a giant robot anyway?" asked Barrel

Shadow smirked as she came to realise "I think I have an idea"

"What do you mean?"

The Joker sauntered over to a nearby shadow on the wall. She knocked on it like a door and opened a vague doorway of darkness. She turned to Lock and Barrel "Come on, I need your help"

"No way! I'm not going in there!" snapped Lock as he stopped Barrel from blindly following her.

Shadow cocked an eyebrow "Why not?"

"I don't trust dark doorways like that"

"I promise you nothing will go wrong" she grabbed their hands and dragged them in "Now let's go!"


	37. Pandemonium

"Malice! Malice!" cried Kamen as he clambered through the remains of Town Hall. He threw whatever he could lift aside. He had to get through the masses of rubble. He uncovered a hand. Quickly moving the rubble aside Kamen froze awkwardly.

"Oh Kamen… what are you doing here?" winced the Mayor as the mummy helped him up "Why were you calling for Malice?"

"Uh… well… I…" Kamen took a deep breath. This was hardly the right time to confess but he had to do it. "I'm her boyfriend and I came to protect her"

The Mayor's panic stricken face went blank. He fainted from the utter shock of Kamen's confession.

"Kamen! Watch out!" exclaimed Spectre as he came charging in. Using his robotic arm he easily smacked down a ghost doll on the prowl.

"We have to evacuate immediately! Come on!" commanded Ethan as he ran past and grabbed the Mayor too. He dragged the Mayor's unconscious body across the fountain square.

"Heads up! We got company!" shouted Fang as more of the horrific dolls descended upon them. But their descent was interrupted. A wave of enraged crows swept in and attacked them.

Fang immediately spied the reason behind this phenomenon "Rusty!?"

The scarecrow was at the edge of the Fountain Square. Rusty was already waving civilians through to take refuge in the briars. As a scarecrow, Rusty had a certain affinity with crows. They were his servants and did his bidding.

"Ethan, Kamen, Spectre, over here!" Fang flew overhead and directed them to the path where Rusty was waiting. Ethan made it there first despite the fact he was also dragging the Mayor with him.

A troll skeleton burst from beneath the cobbled street. A few robotic implants courtesy of Dr Finklestein gave it a much needed power up in all combat areas. It blocked the path between Spectre, Kamen and Rusty.

But its fearsome presence was short lived. The mighty skeleton was taken down in seconds as Shade sprinted forth from Rusty's side. The metallic mammal tore that skeleton to pieces.

"Spectre, come on!" snapped Kamen "We can't do anything here!"

"These are all designs from my notes… I know how to stop all this!" nodded Spectre

Rusty gave a hand gesture to Shade. The monster went to Spectre's side and looked to him expectantly.

"You guys hide, I know what to do" nodded Spectre as he ran towards the Acid Works. Shade was by his side ready to attack. Rusty and Kamen had a larger task at hand. They had to help defend the civilians.

* * *

Dr Finklestein was too preoccupied by the chaos he had created to notice anything else happening in his laboratory. Jack remained silent as he attempted to free himself from the robotic limbs holding him in place. Suddenly, after struggling furiously he found himself falling. Using his elegance and long stature, he landed without a sound. Someone took his hand and pulled him out of the lab. He didn't argue. He knew he had to get out of here.

"Jack, you must head to your manor. I fear Sally may be in danger" said the invisible force that had hold of his hand.

"Who are you? Show yourself" he replied softly

"I can't, I'm a poltergeist. I'm only meant to be heard and not seen. I'm Lady by the way, one of Boogie's servants"

"Boogie is back in town" Jack immediately weighed down with another stress. He hadn't seen Boogie since they were teenagers.

"She went ahead to Skellington Manor already. If you hurry you can get there too"

Jack felt his hand released by Lady. But their temporary peace was disrupted as a metal arm extended from the wall. At its end was a syringe filled with neon green goo.

"LADY!" cried Jack as the syringe penetrated something before him. It injected the liquid into the air, it immediately flowed around to reveal a woman's form. She looked like a beautiful human (if you ignored the fact she was now a glowing green silhouette).

Lady panicked as her body became visible. She cried as her body disintegrated slowly into nothing "When a poltergeist is seen… they cease to exist… tell Boogie it was an honour to serve her!"

"Good thing I had a few half life eliminators installed" cackled Dr Finklestein's voice over the intercom.

Jack cried "You bastard! She did nothing to you!"

Dr Finklestein replied using lasers and blades. More robotic defences were put into place. Jack dodged and leapt to evade the robotic arms. He had no choice. Jack escaped through a nearby window.

* * *

Scarlet lied as a crumpled heap on the floor; her wheelchair had been destroyed in the falling debris. There was no telling where the other vampires were. At any sign of light, vampires fled back into the shadows. They were all probably hiding out in the catacombs by now. There was no one to help her. "Scarlet! Scarlet, are you there!?" called a familiar voice.

"Hayley!" cried the countess

In the midst of the falling stone and destruction of her home Hayley was dodging the mayhem. She knelt down and swept Scarlet up. Grabbing a nearby blanket she covered Scarlet in it to ensure she wasn't exposed to the light. The demonette bounded out the window and landed on a nearby rooftop. As the mayhem outside continued Hayley ran. There was no time to be a hero. She had to get out of here and take refuge.

Shock floated above the town upon her broom. She had already dropped Hayley off at the vampire castle. Upon Hayley's request she was told to leave. Shock looked down to see Spectre battling through the Acid Works. She soared down and kicked a few of Dr Finklestein's minions down in the process.

"Thanks…" said Spectre as he straightened his spine again.

Shock coldly replied "No worries, you want help with this?"

"Yeah, we need to get inside to the main power core. That's the only way"

"Alright, let's do this!"

Spectre, Shock and Shade progressed as a fighting trio into the disrupted Acid Works.

* * *

Sally held Malice close to her. The Mayor's daughter was terrified at the monster looming over them. They had barely escaped its first strike. The iron giant of scrap and steel looked down upon the shattered remains of Skellington Manor. Sally kept hold of Malice, the ragdoll had faced the wrath of Oogie before so she wasn't easily intimidated anymore. But Malice was still young and had grown up in a relatively safe environment; her life had never been truly endangered before.

They were cornered on the remains of the second storey of their home. There was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. The iron giant just had to swipe once more with its mighty arm and they'd be killed. A voice crackled over a speaker "Sorry Dr Finklestein couldn't be here himself to finish you off Mum. I hope you find me a fitting executioner"

Sally's eyes widened as she said "Jason? WHY!? We have done nothing but love you!"

"You were always holding me back and so was Dad! This is my first stand as the new king! I want to completely reform this twisted town! Dr Finklestein has opened my eyes to the truth!"

"We never lied to you! Dr Finklestein is actually insane! Surely you see that!"

"No mother, and now I can kill you and Malice, both of you have been nothing but trouble for me!" The iron giant raised a heavy arm. Sally knew this was it. There was nothing she could do now.

The sound of metal falling echoed as a shadowy rip of darkness sliced through the giant's arm. Boogie regained her poise and landed on the metal monster's shoulder. She snarled as the dark energies gathered around her hands "Don't you dare lay a fucking hand on Jack's bride!"

"She's my mother! I can kill her!" retorted Jason

"What the fuck is wrong with you!?" shouted Boogie as she manipulated the dark magic in her hands. They flickered to form a scythe of darkness, the same weapon that had sliced cleanly through the monster's arm.

"So the boogiegirl wants to play?"

"I'm a BOOGIEWOMAN jerk! Get it right!"

Sally felt weightless as she soared through the air. She was in the burly arms of Maul, the werewolf. Next to him was Harlequin, in the demon's hands was Malice. They both leapt down and landed safely on the ground.

Mr Hyde and Behemoth rushed forward from their hiding spot. Behemoth quickly took Malice from Harlequin, the young woman had passed out from terror. Mr Hyde said to Sally with a bow "Your majesty, we must get to safety, leave the fight to Boogie, Maul and Harlequin"

"You… why are you helping us?" Sally knew from Jack about them. They were the crime lords of Halloweentown, they had more power over this place than the Pumpkin nobility.

"We swear allegiance to Jack and seeing as you're his wife we must protect you at all costs. Now come we must take refuge in the briars" Mr Hyde took Sally's hand. They fled with Behemoth from the area leaving Boogie, Maul and Harlequin to deal with Jason.

Jack skidded into the area of town to see Jason fighting with three others. Boogie leapt madly from rooftop to rooftop trying to evade the lasers of the titan. But the lasers of the titan were short lived as Maul and Harlequin went to work. They clambered across the body of the iron giant and across vital points tearing out wires and removing bolts. Each time they managed to disable a weapon of some sort from the giant. Jack had no idea Maul and Harlequin could be so agile and quick on their feet.

Boogie was sent sprawling to the street floor as the last laser shot collided with the rooftop she was on. She landed on the ground with minimal injury, her species never appeared damaged by dull hits.

"Boogie!? Is that really you!?" exclaimed Jack as he saw her

She turned to him "Hey Jack, long time no see"

Jack had no idea why, but he had to confess to her about her younger brother. He said "Look… I really have to apologise… I killed Oogie"

"Who cares? Oogie was stupid bastard, I don't think anyone liked him, besides, this situation is a lot more severe at the moment"

"How do we kill it?" asked Jack as he saw Harlequin and Maul fly off into a nearby garbage heap.

"We need something powerful enough to fight it" remarked Boogie

"Another giant? I don't we could make one quickly or safely"

"Relax Jack, let's just say we always had a mad scientist on our side and she should be arriving with our weapon soon enough"

Jack raised an eyebrow (what is the equivalent of an eyebrow on a skeleton?) at Boogie. He said "What are you talking about?"

"Come on guys! We have to hold him off!" cried Boogie as she armed her dark scythe and charged into battle once more.


	38. Sabre

The darkness faded as Lock and Barrel adjusted to their new surroundings. It was a massive circular chamber, like an operating theatre, scattered around the edges of the room were tables of dissecting tools and sharp implements of torture. Needles and thread and various twisted pieces of metal used to stitch and bolt onto the poor victims that had fallen prey to this place.

Upon the work bench was a human. It was decayed and rotting hinting that it had been there for too long. Its ribs were snapped open and half of its respiratory system was scattered upon the bench. Shadow was standing over it. She sighed "Damn it, this is what happens when I get distracted from my work"

"What is this place?" asked Lock as he looked around. He noticed a nearby window "Are we in the Hinterlands?"

"Yes we are in the Hinterlands. I had to be located here not only for the solitude but for the amount of fresh specimens I have access to"

Barrel scratched his matter hair "So… what is this place again?"

"This is my real laboratory" admitted Shadow "Sorry to have lied to you for so long. But I only created that false laboratory in the briars to throw off Dr Finklestein"

"Seemed pretty real to me"

"Well, all the things in that other lab apart from the books were nothing more than illusions"

"Why are we here anyway?" said Lock. He was tapping his foot impatiently.

Shadow smirked "Because its time I unveiled the little project I got from Boogie"

"Boogie? As in, Boogie Oogie?"

"Yeah, she gave me the genetic material so all I had to do with make it" laughed the jester as she left the operating theatre.

"What did you end up making?" called Barrel as he eagerly followed. Lock lagged behind them, he felt very uneasy in this twisted place.

"Allow me to present, Sabre" cheered Shadow as she switched the lights on in the next cavernous room.

A massive dragon laid in wait. It was chained down and its wings were strapped. The room was littered with corpses and bones. It was monstrous zombified creature of rotting flesh and bone. It had six wide eyes and a mouthful of fangs dripping with acid. Its body was lined with sharp spines and talons. Upon its barbed tail were two more eyes.

Lock screamed "What the hell is that thing!?"

"It's… It's a demon dragon…" drooled Barrel "I loved hearing about these things when I was a kid!"

"I've no idea where Boogie got the DNA, but she wanted me to make this baby. I've spent the past year creating Sabre and teaching it how to react to Halloweentown. I've trained it to obey Jack's every command as that is what Boogie wishes" proudly declared Shadow "But before I hand it over to the Pumpkin King, I think I promised Barrel a free ride"

"YES! I'm gonna ride a big dragon!" cheered Barrel

Shadow switched a nearby leaver. The room shook as the roof parted revealing the vacant sky. She proceeded to unshackle the beast. Sabre remained perfectly still like an obedient slave.

"Come on!" said Shadow as she mounted Sabre. She sat behind its head and held onto its horns like handlebars. "Get on its back"

Lock nervously climbed up onto the dragon's back. Barrel however seemed a little more pleased with idea. Shadow tugged at Sabre's horn and said "Hold on boys!"

The dragon stretched its wings and soared up into the sky with one sweep.

Sabre glided upon the wind as it flew over the Hinterlands. Lock didn't dare look anywhere else. He was holding onto Sabre's decaying flesh like his life depended on it. He didn't care if Shadow kept saying it was safe, Lock didn't like the thought of flying through the air.

"This is awesome!" screeched Barrel. He was in sheer ecstasy of being up this high. "Hey look Lock! It's our house!"

"I don't wanna look" whined the devil

Shadow's eyes widened as she saw the monstrous giant in town. She cringed "What the hell is that thing supposed to be anyway!?"

"A big robot?" said Barrel "Looks like its taken damage too"

"Fine then, I'll move in close and land near its feet"

Lock and Barrel screamed "WHAT!? ARE YOU NUTS!?"

"Trust me" Shadow steered Sabre down to the street level.

* * *

Jack and Maul were sent flying back as the giant attempted to crush them with its foot. It missed by the vibrations caused by its enormous stomp shook the earth. Wearily Jack got up again, it was hopeless no matter how many times Harlequin disabled its weapons, the giant kept fighting with tremendous force. It was looking grim. Jack could see Maul and Boogie were exerting their powers and were greatly fatigued.

The howling roar of a dragon echoed nearby. Everyone turned wildly to see a real life demon dragon in Halloweentown. Shadow, Lock and Barrel were mounted upon it like a demonic steed.

Boogie smiled as she yelled "You're late Shadow!"

"Sorry" she replied as she dismounted. Lock and Barrel quickly scampered out of sight and away from the main street.

"All is prepared then?" said Boogie as she warped over to the Joker.

Shadow nodded "Yes, just as you requested"

"Excellent, take cover and get the hell outta here"

Shadow turned quickly and ran for cover. She knew when she was faced with a problem she couldn't solve. This iron giant problem could only be handled by people who knew what they were doing. She looked up and saw Dr Finklestein's tower in the distance.

"Shadow! Come on! We gotta get outta here!" snapped Barrel

She asked "Why isn't his tower damaged?"

"What?"

"Hey yeah, that is pretty weird" said Lock "We should go check it out"

"Check it out? Then do what? We don't know what he's got in that tower!" exclaimed Shadow

"So what? Barrel's damn good at fighting, you got illusion magic and I'm just awesome. We'll be fine!" said Lock as he ran off. Barrel and Shadow had no choice but to follow after him.

Jason's eyes widened with sheer terror. He had no idea how to deal with a dragon of any form. He had never encountered one in his life before. He was on verge of wetting himself as he stared out from the cockpit of the iron giant at the monstrous fiend. But he was soon distracted as Maul and Harlequin charged towards him for another attack.

"Boogie, what is this?" said Jack as he stepped towards the boogiewoman and the dragon.

"My gift to you, its name is Sabre, I asked Shadow to bring sucker back to life" laughed Boogie "Always thought you needed a more terrifying pet"

"But… this is a little extreme" Jack eyed Sabre's fangs, they were dripping with a strange saliva.

"Shadow's trained it to respond to only your voice and hers. It's now your loyal bodyguard"

"What do I do with it?"

"Well, you can destroy Jason's junkyard suit of armour with it. Get on its head and take it for a test drive" chimed Boogie before she joined back into the fight.

Jack stared at Sabre, the dragon was looking at him awaiting its command. He said "Lower your head so I can get on"

Sabre did exactly that. Jack mounted the legendary beast. He then issued another command "Attack that giant"

Like lightning Sabre stretched its wings and soared up into the air. It swiftly moved through the air and breathed icy mists upon the giant. Jason began to panic as the robot lost all control of its legs. They were frozen stiff. Sabre swooped back up to a safe height to escape the giant's heavy arm.

"Nice…" Jack smirked as he became more confident in his new partner "Dive! Strike its chest!"

Sabre dived from the air and plummeted down. Jack laughed triumphantly, he was already dead, he didn't fear falling from the great height. When he was close enough Jack leapt from Sabre's back, his soul robber armed and ready. Sabre smashed through the iron titan's chest and out the other side flawlessly.

"Shit! Shit! Shit!" gritted Jason as all functions powered down in the cockpit "That stupid beast tore out all the inner workings!"

He screamed as something landed in front of him. Jack grimaced at his son as he raised his arm.

"Dad… I'm sorry!" cried the young prince

The soul robber crashed through the cockpit glass and struck Jason in the face. The impact of the blow was enough to make him pass out. The giant fell down upon the streets of Halloweentown as scrap metal.

As Jack fell Sabre had flown back towards him. The dragon caught the falling skeleton and safely returned to the street level. Boogie, Harlequin and Maul watched in awe. They had been amazed by the display of power Jack had just displayed.

"He mastered Sabre so quickly… it's incredible" wooed Boogie

Maul laughed "He isn't the Pumpkin King for nothing"

"Look at it fall! Rain! Rain! Go away! Come again another day!" sang Harlequin as the metal continued to fall.

"Holy crap!" exclaimed Boogie as she dived out of the way. The metal was beginning to fall in larger pieces. The trio quickly fled to a safer part of town.

Jack snapped as Sabre landed "Did anyone see where the cockpit fell? Jason's still in it!"

"We don't know. It could be anywhere" replied Maul

"Come on! We have to find it and get a hold of Jason before he does something even more stupid"

They moved quickly and swiftly amongst the rubble. The titan had stopped crumbling and now lied scattered in the ruins of the main street.

"Found him!" called Harlequin as he dragged the prince from beneath the rubble. Jason was in a bad condition. His body was battered and bruised from the tumble. If he wasn't in the cockpit he'd be dead by now.

"I say we finish him off" growled Maul

"No" said Jack "Harlequin, Maul, keep him imprisoned for a while"

The werewolf protested "But I wanna kill him! Come on! You and Sally can make another prince"

"No Maul" snapped Harlequin "If we kill him the karmic balance will be completely messed up!"

"Maul, no killing, just watch him" coldly ordered Boogie

Jack then said "Boogie, I need you to come with me"

"What? Why?"

"I need you to visit Dr Finklestein with me"

"Alright, you lead, I'll follow… by the way, did you hear a poltergeist in the tower at all? Her name is Lady and she's a servant of mine"

"Ah… her… I owe her a lot. She's the reason I was able to escape. However…" Jack looked at Boogie. He didn't know how to break it her. He bit the bullet and said "She was killed while we escaped… I'm sorry Boogie, I couldn't do anything for her"

"What? But how?"

"Dr Finklestein injected her with something and then she… she died. But she wanted me to tell you, it's been an honour working for you"

Boogie remained silent as the smile vanished from her burlap face. Maul already had Jason restrained in his arms. Harlequin said "Boogie, you alright?"

"Yeah… it's not alright though. I'll kill Dr Finklestein for this" growled Boogie "Jack, lead the way!"

* * *

It was quiet, too quiet. Shock never liked it when it was eerily silent. It was an ideal moment to sneak up on you. She walked behind Spectre as they went through the underground tunnels of Dr Finklestein's tower. They had left Shade behind on the surface to create a distraction.

"So why are we down here?" whispered Shock as she kept a vigilant eye on their backs

Spectre explained quietly "Last time I was here, Dr Finklestein hid the main generator down here that powers all those robots he stole from my blueprints. If my memory serves me right then it should be just through this tunnel"

"Why is it so quiet though? I thought Finky would have this place loaded with guards"

"Maybe they're all on the surface. It doesn't matter, we have to take this chance and go after the generator"

"You obviously have no idea how the world works" replied Shock coldly

Spectre shrugged it off "Well, I haven't been living my whole life as a thief, we see the world through different eyes"

"So what's going on between you and Shadow?"

"Now is really not the time to be asking this"

"You're spilling your guts about everything else to a thief. No one would just give me information about the inner workings of their buildings. Maybe you should just tell me everything"

"There's nothing to talk about between us"

"Which means there is something going on"

Spectre turned and glared at Shock "Look, I don't know what to think about her. She comes from a completely clan to either of us and I know it's too late for her to change her ways"

"You think she's the only one who eats humans? Hayley and Fang do too, they're part vampire so they can't help themselves when it comes to human blood. I know because I saw them sucking blood once and it was very traumatic"

"Well that's all I'm gonna say about Shadow, so let's keep focused on the problem at hand"

Shock smirked to herself _'Had to get it out of him sooner or later'_

Spectre panicked as they came to the cavern. It was completely empty. He ran around looking for something, anything. "Shit! Where the hell did it go?"

"Spectre look out!" shrieked Shock

It was too late. The mechanical spider descended on both of them and tangled the intruders in sticky nets. The toxins of the fibres seeped into Shock and Spectre. They both passed out.


	39. Final Showdown

The sedative wore off. Spectre and Shock abruptly awoke to find themselves shackled to the wall of Dr Finklestein's laboratory. The insane doctor was sitting in the centre of it all within the protective metal casing of his master control station. He was surrounded by a ring of levers and flashing lights. All around were monitors showing the mayhem engulfing Halloweentown as well as a few robotic limbs mounted to the walls for defence.

"Doctor Finklestein! Why are you doing this!?" cried Spectre

"Because I can" grinned Dr Finklestein. It was obvious what sanity he had left was now gone.

"Why did you steal all my designs!? I can't believe you would do something like that"

"You're designs were very innovative. Useful in fact, so I used them. What's the big deal? It's not like you'd ever succeed as a mad scientist. None of you kids these days can hack it"

"Then why take me on as an apprentice?"

"To shut Jack up and get a few new plans"

"That's lower than a snake's belly" growled Shock, her teased hair almost hissed like serpents themselves as she struggled against the shackles. The witch snarled "How the hell can you be such a respected member of the town!? You're nothing but a copying spineless sack of shit!"

"Strong words, but I cannot take such an insult from the likes of you. After all, Oogie may be dead, but you're still a whorish slave to crime"

"You bastard!"

Spectre remained silent as he watched Shock attempt to break free. With her hands locked close to her head there was no way she could unleash a spell without decapitating herself.

"Yes, yes, struggle away" taunted Dr Finklestein as he pushed a button "It'll all be over soon"

A robotic arm reached down from the ceiling. A type of gun was mounted on it. It charged its laser as it aimed at Shock at point blank range. It would be an instant kill. But the gun quickly fell to the ground as two figures tackled the metal arm down. Lock and Barrel had used their combined body weight to slam into the robot arm and tear it from its place in the roof.

"Bout time you idiots showed up!" snapped Shock

Lock answered "Sorry, we got a little held up"

"Yeah, robots don't break easily" laughed Barrel

Dr Finklestein pressed more buttons. He cackled "Try to disarm all these!"

Lock and Barrel turned as more robotic arms swept down. Some mounted with lasers, others with blades, regardless each one was armed with a weapon.

"Shit!" they both exclaimed as they ran for it.

"Some rescue this turned out to be" sighed Shock

Spectre shouted "Lock! Barrel! Smash the board! It'll disarm the weapons!"

"Can do!" cheered Barrel as he picked up a metal lab stool and aimed for the control panels. He raised it above his head and Lock distracted Dr Finklestein. As the makeshift weapon was brought down it bounced off the control panels and smacked Barrel in the head. A wall of shimmering light had reflected the attack.

"A force field!?" exclaimed Spectre

"Barrel! Get your arse up!" snapped Lock as he blocked a robot arm from attacking his friend.

"That wasn't generated by a machine… that was definitely magic" informed Shock as she noticed the wall of light around Dr Finklestein's station.

The doctor coolly replied "Pretty sharp for a whore. Let's just say I salvaged some of the Joker remains into this lovely defence mechanism. Nothing can beat the illusionary magic of a Joker!"

Dr Finklestein giggled with glee as he controlled the robot arms. This was too easy.

"Wait a minute… how did Lock and Barrel get in here?" muttered Spectre

"I helped them" replied Shadow as she poked her head out from the darkness near Spectre and Shock. She nodded solemnly "Hold on, I'll unshackle you both" as she vanished into the shadows once more.

Within seconds Spectre and Shock fell free. Shadow had used her magic to hide her form in the darkness of the wall. Only revealing her hands, she managed to remove the hinge bolts from the manacles.

"Spectre" ordered Shock as they took cover behind an upturned desk "Distract Dr Finklestein any way you can"

"Alright" he nodded as he ran to join in the madness that had engulfed the laboratory. Lock, Barrel and Spectre were dodging and swerving between the robotic arms. Dr Finklestein was too preoccupied by them to notice what the girls were doing.

"Shadow, get over here" called Shock

Shadow emerged from the darkness and materialised next to the witch "Yes?"

"Finky is using Joker magic to block all attacks around him. I need you to break that force field"

"I saw before. That's a pretty potent spell, probably came from the remains of a powerful Joker… I don't think I can overpower it, unless…" Shadow looked to her left shin; the same leg that was branded by the crest from the Stone of Punishment.

Shock nodded and said "What about your leg? What're you thinking?"

"Well… the crest has a lot of magic in it. If I channel my own magic through it I might be able to shatter the barrier, but I could also kill myself as the power would rip my body to shreds"

"What if I use one of my defence spells to suppress the damage? Would that work?"

"I don't see why not, right now this is our only chance"

Shadow and Shock emerged from behind the table. Shock quickly pulled her hands into the gesture of the horns she began to whisper melodically in a dead language of the witches. No one outside the witch clan had ever heard of it before.

Strange magic began to build around Shadow. She could feel it strongly flowing around her like mist. Wasting no time she focused her own magic into the crest on her leg. She only had one shot to do this. She chanted the spell _"The blood of the tortured weep into reality. Gather in my hands and destroy the fool who stands before me so your spirits can be avenged. Luna Solaris"_

The intensity of pain gathered in her left leg. Shadow couldn't help but scream as unleashed the twisting vortex of purple and black flames towards Dr Finklestein. As the power tore from her very being she felt her flesh tear away from the bone. Her attack struck her opponent. The wall of light shattered as the remaining whips of fire lashed Dr Finklestein.

Her work was done, Shadow collapsed to the ground. The pain in the lower part of her left leg was too much to bear. She could see her black blood seeping through the leg of her jeans. She didn't want to know the irreversible damage done to her.

Dr Finklestein sat up once more. He laughed maniacally "Nice try, sacrificing yourself to destroy my barrier. Did you stop to think about what to do afterwards?"

"What?" said Shadow breathlessly. She looked around to see her friends in the clutches of the doctor's robotic arms. Each one threatening to slice, shoot or disembowel her comrades.

"I knew you'd cause me trouble the day you showed up. Too bad I got the last laugh and now I can get rid of all you pests in one swoop"

Suddenly a dark blade flashed around the room. The robotic arms were sliced to slivers in the process, freeing Lock, Shock, Barrel and Spectre. A figure stopped and knelt down near Shadow. The Joker felt burlap arms support her.

"Holy shit, what happened to your leg?" asked Boogie

Shadow gritted through her teeth as she tolerated the pain "Long story"

Dr Finklestein fell silent as he felt something wrap around his scrawny neck. It felt cold and sticky. He sighed "A soul robber… Jack? Why are you doing this?"

"Just as I dealt with Oogie when he threatened Halloweentown all those years ago, I will do the same now to you" growled the Pumpkin King "I don't care who you are, no one gets away with damaging my town"

Dr Finklestein kept laughing as Jack's soul robber contorted around his body. With a swift movement, Dr Finklestein was torn limb from limb. The very invention that had started his career as a mad scientist also ended his life. The doctor finally stopped laughing, his insanity was over.


	40. Epilogue

A year had passed since the chaos of Dr Finklestein's last stand. Halloweentown was still in ruined shambles but slowly rebuilding itself between preparations for their holiday. Jason had been imprisoned in the catacombs and never allowed to see the light of day again. He was kept intoxicated and in a comatose state thanks to the toxins of spiders. Dr Finklestein had been killed. His laboratory and the position of being a mad scientist were still up for grabs. Despite the fact Jewel and Igor were both capable of the position they didn't want a part of it.

The doorbell of the Mayor's house rang. Sally stopped reading her potion book and went to answer it. Since Skellington Manor was still being rebuilt, Jack and Sally had to stay with the Mayor and his daughter. She opened the door to find Kamen and Spectre standing before her.

"Afternoon boys" smiled the ragdoll

"Your majesty" they both bowed

"Jack wanted to see me" said Spectre as he fiddled with a bag slung over his shoulder.

Kamen smiled beneath his bandaged face "And I'm just here to pick Malice up for our date"

"Of course, Spectre, Jack's in our room, up the stairs to the left" replied Sally. Spectre quickly shuffled past her.

"And I'm right here Kamen" taunted Malice as she came out. She quickly called into the house "Don't wait up Dad, I'll see you tomorrow"

"Wait Malice! Remember to use protection!" wailed her father as the door slammed shut. He fell down the stairs due to his panic.

Sally helped him up "Stop worrying Mayor, Malice is a grown woman now so stop treating her like a teenager"

"I know, but she's still my daughter and I worry about her"

"How bout I make us some afternoon tea? Jack will be down soon enough anyway" suggested Sally

The Mayor nodded gratefully. He thought _'Amazing, she can remain so focused on reality despite all the problems that have happened'_

Fountain Square was deserted except for Lock and Shock. The devil and the witch were sitting on the steps of Town Hall talking to one another calmly as couples do. Lock asked "So what're your plans tonight?"

"Can't do anything with you, Boogie's teaching me how to cheat at poker"

"Good because I can't do anything either. Behemoth's teaching me how to make bathtub whiskey"

"YOU GUYS! YOU'RE NOT GONNA BELIEVE IT! IT'S INCREDIBLE!" exclaimed Spectre as he sprinted down the street.

"You wanna tell the whole town?" sarcastically remarked Shock

"Jack told me just now! He wants me to take Dr Finklestein's place as the mad scientist and he wants Shadow in on it too!"

Lock asked "That is good news, but who's gonna teach you what to do?"

"Relax, Igor and Jewel know what they're doing despite what you think. I'm gonna go tell Shadow right now, where is she?"

"Should be at Harlequin's place"

"Awesome, see ya guys later!" Spectre ran off again down the streets like a madman.

Shock laughed "He's really loosened up since moving here"

* * *

The speakers began to play a happy tune. Hayley began wiggling her hips to the upbeat tempo as she continued painting the interior of her room. Barrel was above her on the roof with her father mending the broken shingles. The demonette was honestly expecting them to fall through the roof any time soon. Neither Barrel nor Harlequin was exactly on the lighter side of average weight.

"_I'm back in Liverpool and everything seems the same. But I worked something out last night,  
That changed this little boys brain, a small piece of advice that took twenty-two years in the make and I will break it for you now, please learn from my mistakes, please learn from my mistakes!"  
_

Shadow heard a knock at the door as the speakers kept booming out the euphoric melody. She limped to the door. After the spell she had cast, her left leg was never the same. It had torn a chunk of her muscle clean from her shin. It looked like someone had taken a bite out of her. Luckily it hadn't torn through the bone meaning she could still walk. After sealing the remaining skin over the gaping wound to stop infection, Shadow kept her mutilation hidden beneath her jeans.

"_Let's dance to joy division and celebrate the irony. Everything is going wrong, but we're so happy. Let's dance to joy division and raise our glass to the ceiling! 'Cos this could all go so wrong but we're just so happy. Yeah, we're so happy!"  
_

Dr Finklestein's attack had left people still wary of Shadow's species and she wasn't personally bothered by the glares or backhanded comments about her torturing ways. But it still felt like the town had been changed by the attack. It would be hard now for her to ever be accepted in a higher position, unless it was one to instil fear into the town. She opened the door to find Spectre. Shadow felt nervous, she hadn't been alone with Spectre since she beat the crap out of him.

He cheerily greeted "Hey Shadow, how's the leg?"

"Still good, just don't expect me to run a marathon, ever" she dryly replied "I can still walk though"

"May I come in?"

"If you want"

Spectre walked into Harlequin's home. For the first time in ages you could actually see the floor and the general area was actually tidy (not that it would last long). Shadow said "So, did you want to talk to Harlequin and order something from the human world? He's on the roof at the moment"

"No, I came to talk to you" he admitted

"What about?"

"How would you like to establish a working relation? Jack wanted me to become the next mad scientist of Halloweentown. However, I've learnt that this position should be given to two people. It's too much work for one. So… wanna work side by side?"

"That's a damn tempting offer… but I made arrangements as well" informed Shadow "I've agreed to become Maul's apprentice, one day I'll become a crime lord of Halloweentown"

"Oh… I see"

"With things the way they are, the town would never accept a torturing maniac like me to have a position like mad scientist"

"How bout you become a lab assistant? You're gonna need a day job once you become a crime lord so… will you consider my offer? Please, I want to work with you by my side. We'll make an incredible scientific team!"

Shadow gave in, regardless of what had happened she still wanted to be a mad scientist. She beamed "Well… I accept"

"Excellent!" Spectre suddenly went quiet. He shyly muttered "Um… also…"

"What? Is something on my face?"

"_So let the love tear us apart, I've found the cure for a broken heart. Let it tear us apart. Let it tear us apart. Let it tear us apart"_

"No, I just…" he slipped his bag from his shoulder. He nervously pulled a severed human head on a spike from his bag and offered it to Shadow. It was a gruesome sight to see the head of a young woman skewered on a shaft of metal like a piece of meat.

"Spectre…" Shadow blushed madly "I had no idea… how do you know about courtship rituals of a Joker though?"

"Well, I had some help from a friend"

"You saw Mr Hyde, didn't you?"

"Yes" he admitted "So… how bout it? Wanna give it a shot maybe?"

"Look Spectre, you're a nice guy and all, but I'm not ready for a relationship. I still got too much to do in my youth. I don't have time for a relationship" said Shadow

Spectre lowered the severed head and sobbed "So, you're rejecting me!?"

"Let me finish" said Shadow "I'm not in the mood for a relation yet. However, I would appreciate a root from you every so often"

Spectre raised his eyebrow with a lustful grin "Oh! So you wanna be fuck buddies?"

"For now, we're still both young and I don't we're ready to destroy that with a meaningful relationship"

"True, I can't imagine wasting our time kissing and holding hands. Let's just cut to what our libidos want and see what happens from there" laughed Spectre "I like your style"

Shadow smirked "Well, no one can study clearly without a bit of sexual action to relax"

"Exactly, this is going to be a brilliant partnership"

As they talked Barrel, Hayley and Harlequin were eavesdropping.

"This has to be one of the most disturbing conversations I've ever heard" commented Barrel

"Don't be such a prude" replied Hayley "They just do things differently to us"

"Typical mad scientists, I never realised they actually had to be mad to get the job"

"Ah, young love" sighed Harlequin "Give it time and I swear those two will end up together. This is the start of a beautiful future for all of us"

Hayley said "Dad please, you're scaring me"

"And me!" added Barrel

Harlequin laughed as he said "Just as karma predicted, the universe is balanced once more and peace has returned to our humble town"

"What's he on about now?" asked Barrel

"I don't even wanna know" remarked Hayley as the music kept playing.

"_Let's dance to joy division and raise our glass to the ceiling! 'Cos this could all go so wrong, but we're just so happy. Yeah, we're so happy! So happy! Yeah, we're so happy! So happy! Yeah, we're so happy"_

* * *

_Lyrics from "Let's Dance to Joy Division" by The Wombats_

_Author Note_ - Wow, this story went for a lot longer than I expected (I thought it was gonna be 30 chapters at most)... thankyou very much for reading it. Also remember this story has been rated M for a reason kiddies. Please take ratings serious when posting stuff here. Alright, cheers!


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